The Manchester Bridge, also known as the North Side Point Bridge, was a steel Pratt truss bridge that spanned the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

History

The Manchester Bridge became Pittsburgh's second bridge to span from the Point to the North Side. Its predecessor, the wooden covered Union Bridge, opened in 1874 and was demolished in 1907 after suffering extensive damage from a major flood that same year. The new bridge was constructed from 1911–1915. and was opened by Mayor Joseph G. Armstrong on August 8, 1915. It carried motorists across the Allegheny River for the next 54 years. The bridge closed on October 17, 1969 when its successor, the

Fort Duquesne Bridge The Fort Duquesne Bridge is a steel bowstring arch bridge that spans the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was colloquially referred to as " The Bridge to Nowhere" prior to its completion. History The bridge was constructed from ...

(located closer to the

Roberto Clemente Bridge The Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. History First bridge The original bridge at the site was a wooden covered bridge with six spans ...

) opened that same day as part of the city's Renaissance I redevelopment project. Efforts were made to save the old Manchester Bridge, but it was determined that it had to be removed (along with the adjoining Point Bridge, defunct since 1959 after the opening of the Fort Pitt Bridge) to complete construction of the new Point State Park. Explosives were used to drop the south span into the Allegheny River at 18:42 on September 29, 1970. The original attempt eleven hours earlier had been unsuccessful when five of the eight charges failed to detonate. Demolition was subcontracted to Controlled Demolition by Dravo Corporation and was overseen by John D. Loizeaux. Less than a month later on October 28, the north span was brought down the same way, this time with no problems. Sculptor Charles Keck designed four figures for the bridge, representing Native American chief

Guyasuta Guyasuta (c. 1725–c. 1794; , "he stands up to the cross" or "he sets up the cross") was an important Native American leader of the Seneca (tribe), Seneca people in the second half of the eighteenth century, playing a central role in the di ...

, pioneer

Christopher Gist Christopher Gist (1706–1759) was an explorer, surveyor, and frontiersman active in Colonial America. He was one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country (the present-day states of Ohio, eastern Indiana, western Pennsylvania, and nort ...

, a mill worker, and a coal miner. These were installed on the portals of the bridge in 1917. The two worker figures have also been identified as fictional heroes Joe Magarac and Jan Volkanik, despite some folklorists finding no evidence that the Magarac legend existed prior to 1931. The sculptures were salvaged from the bridge when it was razed in 1970 and, for a time, were displayed on the grounds of the

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is a hands-on interactive children's museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Center neighborhood in Pittsburgh's Northside. History The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh was founded in 19 ...

. In a move funded by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, the Guyasuta and Gist figures were moved to a display on Pittsburgh's North Shore in July 2016, and are now located near their original site. A structural footing from the bridge still survives on the north bank of the Allegheny River, not far from the south end zone of

Acrisure Stadium Acrisure Stadium, formerly (and still colloquially) known as Heinz Field, is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Foot ...

; it was cleaned and carved out as the setting for a memorial statue of

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television s ...

Gallery

File:FredRogersStatueinPittsburghPA.jpg,

memorial statue, north bank footing, Manchester Bridge

References

External links

* {{Pittsburgh Bridges Bridges completed in 1915 Buildings and structures demolished in 1970 Bridges in Pittsburgh Bridges over the Allegheny River Demolished bridges in the United States Road bridges in Pennsylvania Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania Steel bridges in the United States Pratt truss bridges in the United States 1915 establishments in Pennsylvania 1969 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion

History

See also

Gallery

References

External links