Hays Street Bridge
Why it's listed
Hays Street Bridge is a 353-foot truss bridge on the east side of downtown San Antonio, built in 1910 over railroad tracks and nearby streets. It combines a 225-foot Murphy-Whipple span, first built in 1881 over the Nueces River near Uvalde, with a 128-foot Pratt span. Both were fabricated by the Phoenix Bridge Company and moved here as the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway expanded its lines and the city required above-grade crossings. The Whipple span is one of only four known in Texas and the only known Texas bridge with Phoenix columns, hollow posts made of riveted wrought iron channels. Wrought iron bridges are rare in the state. The bridge carried traffic until 1982, when it closed. Local preservation efforts followed, and a 2010 rehabilitation repaired the trusses and replaced the deck and concrete approaches. It now serves pedestrians and is recognized for engineering and for its role in the city's railroad development.
Significance in brief: The bridge is argued to be significant under Criterion C for engineering at the state level, since one span is among only four known Whipple trusses in Texas and the only known Texas bridge with Phoenix columns. It is also significant under Criterion A for transportation, because of its link to railroad expansion in San Antonio.
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 12000787, listed September 10, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Hays St. over UPRR, N. Cherry, & Chestnut Sts., San Antonio |
|---|---|
| County | Bexar County |
| Listed | September 10, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000787 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1881-1962 |
| Architect / builder | Phoenix Bridge Company |
| Architectural style | OTHER: Pratt and Murphy-Whipple Through Truss |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed to vehicles in 1982, rehabilitated in 2010 with new approaches, deck and railings, and now open to pedestrians. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.43234, -98.48021 (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 12000787.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002771
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.