You are here

Rhode Island » East Bay » Bristol » Mount Hope Bridge

Mount Hope Bridge

-A A +A
1927–1929, Robinson and Steinman. Ferry Rd.
  • Mount Hope Bridge (John M. Miller)

A wire-cable suspension bridge supported by 285-foot towers, the Mount Hope Bridge is a structure of pared-down, understated beauty. Upon its completion in 1929, it received the American Institute of Steel Construction's artistic bridge award, an honor that did its builders little good: built as a speculative venture, it opened on October 24, 1929, only five days before the stock market collapse that heralded the Great Depression. Within two years the private corporation that operated it as a toll bridge was bankrupt. Nearby is the Bristol Ferry Lighthouse, built by the United States government just after 1854, a modest brick building that was converted to a residence after the completion of the bridge.

Writing Credits

Author: 
William H. Jordy et al.
×

Data

What's Nearby

Roger Williams University
A. S. Philips House
Blithewold
Perry-Congdon House
Seven Oaks

Citation

William H. Jordy et al., "Mount Hope Bridge", [Portsmouth, Rhode Island], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/RI-01-BR48.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,