Henderson Street Bridge
Also known as: Royal Street Bridge
Why it's listed
Henderson Street Bridge carries four lanes of traffic over the Clear Fork of the Trinity River on the western edge of downtown Fort Worth. Built in 1930 and first called the Royal Street Bridge, it measures 836 feet and combines a 124-foot open spandrel concrete arch with 14 concrete girder approach spans. City engineer C. Milo Thelin and consultant Ira G. Hedrick of Hot Springs, Arkansas, designed it, and Frank Parrott of Dallas built it. Arcaded concrete handrails, cantilevered sidewalk brackets and curved girder fascias give it a distinctive appearance. It was part of a city plan to make Henderson Street a major north-south arterial and to link downtown with the Jacksboro Highway toward Lake Worth and beyond. It was listed for engineering significance as one of few intact open spandrel arch bridges in Texas, and for its importance to local transportation. Alterations include removal of original light standards, though integrity is described as high.
Significance in brief: The bridge is argued to be an excellent and one of a small number of intact open spandrel concrete arch bridges in Texas, significant for engineering under Criterion C at the state level. It is also significant under Criterion A at the local level for its role in Fort Worth and Tarrant County transportation as a link on the Jacksboro Highway.
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 11000128, listed March 21, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Henderson Street at the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, Fort Worth |
|---|---|
| County | Tarrant County |
| Listed | March 21, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000128 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1930-1961 |
| Architect / builder | Hedrick, Ira G., Consulting Engineer; Thelin, C. Milo, Engineer [designer]; Lewis, Dudley, City Engineer [supervisor]; Parrott, Frank, Contractor |
| Architectural style | Other: Open Spandrel Concrete Arch Bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still carries vehicular traffic as a bridge; overall condition described as satisfactory with some cracking, spalling and exposed rebar, and original concrete light standards removed. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 32.75872, -97.34116 (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 11000128.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14710491
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.