Congress Street Bascule Bridge, Spanning Fort Point Channel at Congress Street, Boston, Suffolk County, MA

Significance: The Congress Street Bridge, built in 1930, is a trunnion bascule bridge and the most recent of the five movable-truss bridges spanning the Fort Point Channel. It replaced a steam operated swing draw and was electrically operated. / The Congress Street Bascule Bridge is one of the few surviving electrically-operated Strauss overhead-counterweight bascule drawbridges with a Warren-with-verticals pony truss. The masonry piers are carried above deck level and are topped with ornamental lanterns which give the bridge a unique architectural character. Despite the loss of some of its operating equipment and deterioration of auxiliary structures (fenders), many original components (superstructure, lighting, gates, and operating machinery) remain. The Tender's House is incorporated within the Boston Tea Party Ship Museum, a prominent feature adjacent to the existing structure. The bridge is located in the proposed Fort Point Channel Historic District, which includes five surviving movable bridges.

Survey number: HAER MA-38

Building/structure dates: 1931 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1954 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1976 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1980 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1984 Subsequent Work

vertical lift bridges civil engineering galleries and museums industry fishing fires transportation commerce pedestrian bridges vehicular bridges bascule bridges boston congress bascule bridge congress street bascule bridge channel fort point channel congress street suffolk suffolk county massachusetts balfour engineering company incorporated boston bridge works boston public works department bridge and ferry division john e carty dan clement coleman brothers incorporated desmond and lord fairchild aerial survey h e fletcher historic american engineering record jet lowe lawrence j mcclusky hart mcginley norwood noonan company stevenson seeyle robert severy peter stott strauss bascule bridge company martin stupich photo ultra high resolution high resolution ornament library of congress

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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