Strawberry Mansion Bridge

Strawberry Mansion Bridge. . , Erected in 1896-1897 as the Fairmount Park Trolley Bridge by the Fairmount Park Transportation Company, the Strawberry Mansion Bridge established a convenient connection over the Schuylkill River between East and West Fairmount Park. Before its construction, the nearest river crossings occurred more than a mile upstream and one and three quarter miles downstream. The Bridge opened on June 13, 1897 with right-of-way for trolley cars, vehicles and pedestrians., During the second half of the nineteenth century, many Philadelphians used Fairmount Park as their principle place of recreation. They used the city's network of trolley lines to the Park's edges and walked the remaining distances. Under a franchise from the Fairmount Park Commission to improve access throughout the Park, the Fairmount Park Transportation Company created an 8.8. mile system in the Park. The company developed terminals at 33rd and Dauphin Streets in East Park and at 44th Street and Parkside Avenue in West Park, erected this Bridge over the Schuylkill River, and laid a circuit of rails through West Park with a stop at Woodside Park, an amusement park owned by the trolley company, that bordered Fairmount Park. During the summer, the Company provided open-air trolley cars. The last trolley run over the Bridge occurred on November 5, 1946., The Phoenix Bridge Company erected the Bridge from plans by Russell M. Thayer, Jr. and Theodore Cooper. It consists of four steel arches with three Warren truss approach spans at either side and granite abutments and piers. Built in one year at a cost of $200,000, it measures 1,237 feet in length and 79 feet in width. Its historic association with the Park and trolley cars and the elegance of its high arches make this one of the most significant bridges in Philadelphia.