Historic City Line Avenue Bridge – That Gets No Respect
If bridges had feelings, the City Line Avenue Bridge (that’s its official name) would be justified in feeling under-appreciated.
Aside from the fact that it’s old – it was built in 1913, the bridge has some nice “architectural assets,” that you’ve probably been oblivious to, all the times you’ve crossed it. Or if you’re like me, you’ve crossed it a few thousand times, and you weren’t even aware that there was a bridge in that location, much less an historic one.
Speaking of location, much to my surprise, Google Maps knows exactly where the “City Line Avenue Bridge” is, but only if you type it in quotations. And if you know where the Greenhill Apartments are, then you know where the bridge is too. The western side of the bridge runs along the Greenhill property line that abuts City Ave. On the other side of City Ave., the bridge starts at 66th Street and runs south, about 100 feet.
The East Branch of Indian Creek runs underneath the bridge, and on the Philadelphia side, the bridge fences off the eastern edge of Morris Park.
As bridges go, The City Line Avenue Bridge isn’t going to make anybody’s top 20 list, and I’m not suggesting that you should make a special trip to look at it, but the next time you’re riding down City Avenue in that neighborhood, you might want to take a closer look.
The bridge “made it” into the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Survey form from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Historic Preservation