Railroad Arch Bridge - Springfield, MA - Photos Then and Now on Waymarking.com

The picture from the 1890s depict the Railroad Arch Bridge looking north along Main Street in Springfield, MA from the sidewalk on the east side of the street. The major differences from the 1890 is the absence of the Second Empire building behind the bridge on the west side. The building on he east side is also gone. What's new is the Stone Wall Tavern that was constructed against the southwest of the bridge. Of course, the horse and buggies no longer travel along Main Street and there were no parking meters along the sidewalks.

Before the Railroad Arch Bridge was built the Boston & Albany Railroad used a street level railroad crossing on Main Street in Springfield. This created severe traffic congestion in the downtown area. In 1883, Henry Hobson Richardson submitted a design to build a new depot west of Main Street and an arch bridge to alleviate traffic congestion. Due to Richardson's premature death, construction of the the bridge and the depot was postponed until 1889 and the firm of Shepley, Rutan, & Coolidge completed the project.

The granite stone arch bridge is 70' long, 60' wide and 12' 7" high at its highest point. The paraphet is 12' high to hide the trains passing along the bridge. The Railroad Bridge features the distinctive combination of granite blocks and brownstone trim which has become the hallmark of Richardsonian buildings.

The depot was replaced in 1925 but the bridge and retaining wall remain in use today.

Year photo was taken: 1890

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