John Seigenthaler Bridge

The bridge you see in front of you was originally named the Sparkman Street Bridge and later called the Shelby Street Bridge. In 2014, it was renamed the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in honor of journalist and civil rights advocate John Seigenthaler. The 3,100-foot structure was built from 1907 to 1909 and connected Edgefield and east Nashville to downtown. Searching for cheap labor, the city hired ex-convicts and parolees to do the dangerous construction work. Designed by Howard Jones, Chief Engineer of the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad (NC&St.L Railroad), the bridge was constructed by Foster and Creighton Company and Gould Contracting Company of Louisville. After completion, the bridge had forty-eight spans, with two steel trusses and two reinforced concrete trusses. The structure was the first in the U.S. to use reinforced concrete trusses. This method supported the weight of Nashville’s electric streetcar, and later the weight of rush hour commuters in automobiles. In fact, officials worried the design would not hold this weight, so an eleven-foot model was created, and bricks were placed onto it to test its design. The model held steady at 17,000 pounds before the top-heavy pile of bricks came tumbling down.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, the bridge is emblematic of the massive growth Nashville experienced at the turn of the twentieth century. In 1998, it was closed for renovations and reopened as a pedestrian-only bridge. Today, the Seigenthaler Bridge offers amazing views of downtown Nashville and the Cumberland River. It also provides easy access to Nissan Stadium, as football fans walk across the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge to watch our beloved Tennessee Titans play.

The tour’s last stop at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center is near the entrance to the bridge if you would like to walk across this fabulous structure.

Turn RIGHT from the station and walk toward the intersection of Broadway and First Avenue, where you will cross to reach your second stop, Acme Feed and Seed.