Thirty-third Street Bridge in Philadelphia
Why it's listed
Built about 1901 over 33rd Street in Philadelphia, this single-span stone arch bridge carries vehicular traffic across the street. Its main span measures 41 feet, and the overall length is 85 feet. Its significance lies in engineering. The arch is a skew arch built with brick ribs, constructed in the manner described in contemporary engineering texts. When viewed from inside the barrel, the individual obliquely angled brick ribs can be seen. The spandrel walls and voussoirs are of ashlar masonry, and the wing walls are semi-coursed masonry. Among the bridges in the nominated group, it is the only one with skewed brick ribs. The bridge is regarded as unaltered from its original form. The nominated boundary covers only the bridge superstructure and substructure, within the outside corners of the wing walls.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is an unusual and excellent example of a skew arch built with brick ribs, in the manner described in contemporary texts. The individual obliquely-angled brick ribs are visible from inside the barrel. It is the only bridge in the nominated group with skewed brick ribs. The area of significance is engineering.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000847, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Thirty-third St. over Master St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000847 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unaltered, in vehicular use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Fairmount Park |
| Coordinates | 39.97881, -75.18958 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000847.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7785213
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.