Panther Hollow Bridge is a steel three-hinged

deck arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ( ...

carrying Panther Hollow Road over Panther Hollow in

Schenley Park Schenley Park () is a large municipal park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. In 2011, th ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. This bridge in the city's Oakland district has a main span of , total length , and arches above the hollow. It was constructed in 1895–96, roughly contemporaneously with the nearby Schenley Bridge. These nearly identical bridges often confuse even the locals, but Panther Hollow Bridge may be easily distinguished by its monumental bronze sculptures by

Giuseppe Moretti Giuseppe Moretti (3 February 1857 – February 1935) was an Italian émigré sculptor who became known in the United States for his public monuments in bronze and marble. Notable among his works is '' Vulcan'' in Birmingham, Alabama, which is ...

of four panthers, crouching as sentinels, on each bridge corner. The bridge also lacks the chain link fencing which is installed on the Schenley Bridge.

Panther Hollow Lake Panther Hollow Lake is a human-made lake in Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Watershed The lake serves as a catch basin for the Panther Hollow Watershed, which includes sections of Schenley Park and Squirrel Hill. It receives storm ...

, a recreation spot, lies just west of the bridge.

History

The Panther Hollow Bridge was one of the many

improvements completed during the tenure of Pittsburgh Director of Public Works Edward Manning Bigelow. Construction began in August 1895 and the bridge was opened to vehicular traffic in November 1896. The four bronze panthers were added in 1897. They were sculpted by

and cast by the

Gorham Manufacturing Company The Gorham Manufacturing Company is one of the largest United States of America, American manufacturers of Sterling silver, sterling and silverplate and a foundry for bronze sculpture. History Gorham Silver was founded in Providence, Rhode Isl ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. Two of the panthers were dedicated on the

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

in 1897 as the other two were not delivered in time for the ceremony.

Notes

References

* *

External links

*
Panther Hollow Bridge (1897)
at pghbridges.com *
Schenley Park website
Bridges in Pittsburgh Bridges completed in 1897 Parks in Pittsburgh City of Pittsburgh historic designations Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks Road bridges in Pennsylvania Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania Schenley Park Truss arch bridges in the United States Metal bridges in the United States {{Pennsylvania-bridge-struct-stub

History

See also

Notes

References

External links