Waco Suspension Bridge, Spanning Brazos River at Bridge Street, Waco, McLennan County, TX

Significance: When completed in 1869, the 475'-0"-long Waco Suspension Bridge was the state's first major suspension bridge. The first bridge to span the Brazos River, it originally featured two castellated pink brick towers. The span opened as a toll bridge on January 7, 1870. Its toll houses feature stepped gable roofs, parapets, and round arched openings. Financed by the Waco Bridge Company, it is an example of a bridge built at the initiative of local business leaders during the Reconstruction when local governments had difficulty funding large capital projects. McLennan County purchased the bridge in 1889, freed it of tolls, and turned it over to the city of Waco. It was reconstructed by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company between 1913 and 1914. The Waco Suspension Bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1971. The original structure was designed by Thomas M. Griffith, an engineer who had worked for the John A. Roebling's Sons Company. The Waco Suspension Bridge was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N363
Survey number: HAER TX-13
Building/structure dates: 1870 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1914 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 70000850