In 1921, an Act of the US Congress authorizing the bridge was passed with an estimate for the construction cost of $28,871,000. Work on the Delaware River Bridge (as it was originally called) commenced on January 6, 1922.
Between 1922 and 1926, numerous 18th & 19th century buildings were torn down for the bridge (1st photo). Saint John’s Lutheran Church (2nd photo - B&W of interior, which held 1,300) was the oldest English Lutheran Church in the U.S. when it was demolished to make way for the Philadelphia approach and plaza of the bridge. The Robert E Pattison School (3rd photo) was razed. All surrounding structures in that Franklin Square area were torn down for the bridge plaza (4th - map).
A rather narrow strip of buildings were torn down between 5th St and the riverfront, but they included numerous small businesses that inhabited the area (5th photo - map showing route of bridge). Thirty waterfront buildings were destroyed. Wilbur Chocolates (now The Chocolate Works) had part of their factory razed for the bridge's approach (6th photo). 4th Street had to be lowered to allow for the bridge approach, impacting many buildings, including St Augustine's, whose lowering of it's entrance is still plainly visible. (7th photo)
The Bridge was designed by a team of people. Ralph Modjeski was hired as the chief engineer, Leon Moissieff, in charge of the design, and Paul Philippe Cret was the main architect. Cret was already well known in Philadelphia as the architect who laid out The Parkway and redesigned Rittenhouse Square.
The structure was designed as a suspension bridge, in which the load-bearing deck is suspended above the water from cables (8th photo). The cables are tethered between towers and anchored at each end of the bridge. While this was not a new system, it was the invention of higher-quality steel that made suspension bridges stronger than any other, able to span great distances with minimal interruption of boat traffic. By the 1920s, few steel structures like this existed anywhere in the world.
Interior of St Johns Pattison School
1910 map 1922 map showing path of Demolition adjacent to Bridge Wilbur Chocolate
Note different brick color above
doorway of St Augustine's, which
was lowered when 4th St was lowered
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