The Schenley 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 ( ...

spanning Junction Hollow in

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, ...

. It carries Schenley Drive between Oakland on the west and the main part of

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 ...

on the east, connecting

Schenley Plaza Schenley Plaza is a public park serving as the grand entrance into Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The plaza, located on Forbes Avenue and Schenley Drive in the city's Oakland district, includes multiple gardens, food kiosks, public ...

, the Carnegie Institute, and the

Frick Fine Arts Building The Henry Clay Frick Fine Arts Building is a landmark Renaissance villa and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms-Oakland Civic Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Th ...

with Frew Street, Flagstaff Hill, and Phipps Conservatory. The bridge spans and arches above the hollow. The bridge was completed in 1897 as part of the main entrance to Schenley Park. It replaced a temporary structure by the same name dating from 1890, a year after the park opened. Construction of the Schenley Bridge was roughly contemporaneous with that of the nearby Panther Hollow Bridge, and the two bridges are very similar in design.

History

In 1890, the year after Pittsburgh received the land for Schenley Park, a temporary trestle was constructed across the ravine known as Junction Hollow to provide access from Oakland. This bridge was widely perceived to be unsafe and was the cause of multiple panics when large crowds of people attending the park's annual

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 ...

celebration became convinced the bridge was collapsing. The bridge was also damaged in the fire that destroyed the nearby

Schenley Park Casino The Schenley Park Casino was Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh’s first multi-purpose arena. The facility was considered the envy of the sports and entertainment world during the early 1890s, with amenities that were unsurpassed anywhere on the globe. It w ...

in 1896. In 1896, the city's Director of Public Works, Edward Manning Bigelow, announced plans for a new, permanent park entrance featuring two new bridges, the present Schenley Bridge over Junction Hollow and a smaller stone bridge over St. Pierre Hollow. The stone bridge was later buried when the hollow was filled in to build

. Construction of the Schenley Bridge began in July 1896 and it was completed in November 1897, though the approaches were not finished. The bridge was first opened to the public for the Fourth of July celebration in 1898. Unlike the old bridge, the ''

Pittsburgh Post The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' wrote, "That huge iron arch, curving above the railroad and those heavy stone supports will never tremble beneath the weight of all the people who can pack themselves upon it, even should they be piled layer upon layer." Bigelow originally planned to have the old Schenley Bridge moved to the end of Wilmot Street (now

Boulevard of the Allies The Boulevard of the Allies is a mostly four-lane road in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, connecting Downtown Pittsburgh with the Oakland neighborhood of the city. Because of its lengthy name, locals sometimes refer to it as simply "The Boulevard ...

) to provide an entrance to the park from

South Oakland Oakland is the academic and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and one of the city's major cultural centers. The neighborhood is home to three universities, museums, and hospitals, as well as an abundance of shopping, restaurants, and recreational ac ...

. However, the structure was ultimately sold for scrap instead. The proposed location is now the site of the

Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge The Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge is a steel deck truss bridge located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The bridge carries the four-lane roadway of Boulevard of the Allies across a ravine known as Junction Hollow, connecting the ne ...

In popular culture

Schenley Bridge and a boiler plant dubbed the Cloud Factory, sited just northeast of the bridge's Oakland abutment, play a special role in ''

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh ''The Mysteries of Pittsburgh'' is a 1988 novel by American author Michael Chabon. It is a coming-of-age tale set during the early 1980s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was Chabon's first novel, which he began writing as a 21-year-old undergrad ...

'', the 1988

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

by the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, DC, he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, gr ...

. Starting in the 2010s, a large number of

love padlocks A love lock or love padlock is a padlock that significant other pairs lock to a bridge, fence, gate, monument, or similar public fixture to symbolize their love. Typically the sweethearts' names or initials, and perhaps the date, are inscribe ...

have been placed on the bridge. Along with the Three Sisters bridges, the Schenley Bridge is one of the locations in Pittsburgh most strongly associated with this practice. Clippings of th
first page
an
second page
via Newspapers.com. Retrieved August 26, 2022.

Gallery

File:Love locks on Schenley Bridge.jpg, thumbnail, Love locks on the Schenley Bridge File:Schenley Bridge6.jpg, View of Schenley Bridge from one of its outlooks File:Schenley Bridge3.jpg, Close-up of one of the lovelocks

References

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External links

Schenley Bridge (1897)
at pghbridges.com

at pghbridges.com
Schenley Park website

Bridges in Pittsburgh Bridges completed in 1890 Bridges completed in 1897 Parks in Pittsburgh City of Pittsburgh historic designations Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks Road bridges in Pennsylvania Schenley Park Truss arch bridges in the United States Metal bridges in the United States {{Pennsylvania-bridge-struct-stub