“Ever notice how this bridge doesn’t quite match the others around here?” That’s because the M Street Bridge has a story as unique as its design. It carries M Street across Rock Creek connecting Georgetown and Foggy Bottom.
The M Street Bridge wasn’t always here. The first bridge on this site appeared in 1788. Georgetown built it two years before becoming part of the District of Columbia. Legend says this original wooden bridge collapsed during a fierce storm. A stagecoach driver and his horses drowned. Some say their ghosts still try to cross here.
In 1800, they replaced it with a heavy wooden drawbridge. Rock Creek was wide and deep enough for sailing ships then. By the 1830s, the creek became too shallow for ships. Silt from upstream construction blocked the creek’s mouth. A covered wooden bridge came next in 1839.
By 1871, a steel-truss bridge stood here. However, it became unsafe and closed in 1925. You can still see parts of its western side next to this bridge.
The current M Street Bridge construction happened in 1929 and 1930. Engineers first planned a simple steel-girder bridge. They thought a large arch bridge wouldn’t work with the planned parkway underneath. Unusually, the District of Columbia Engineer of Bridges designed it alone. No outside firms helped.
Charles Moore and the United States Commission of Fine Arts strongly disliked the design. Moore believed it clashed with the other park bridges. They were designed to blend in with nature. Designers tried to compromise. They encased the bridge in concrete and added decorations.
Moore remained unhappy. He called it “a brutal bridge”. He thought it inconsistent with the parkway. Moore said the design was fundamentally bad and would be a perpetual eyesore. He felt ornamentation wouldn’t fix the bridge’s basic design flaws.
The D.C. Board of Commissioners decided to build it anyway. The law only required them to consult the CFA not obey their advice. This disagreement led to the Shipstead-Luce Act in 1930. This law gave the CFA more power to control building designs. So, the M Street Bridge stands as a reminder of a design battle. It is also a testament to the changing landscape of Washington D.C. architecture. A bridge that sparked debate now carries countless journeys.