Taft Bridge Lamposts

The Taft Bridge, named after President William Howard Taft, was built in 1897-1907 by George S. Morison, Engineer, and architect Edward Pearce Casey. It stretches 901 feet and is considered to be the “largest unreinforced concrete structure in the world.” It connects the Woodley Park and Kalorama districts spanning the Rock Creek gorge. 

The bridge includes numerous decorations including twenty-four lamp posts that are equally spaced on each side by sculptor Ernest Bairstow from 1906. Each cast iron post stands 5 feet 8 inches. The shafts are decorated with acanthus leaves and the globes are topped with iron eagles.

EverGreene was contracted to assist in the preservation of the  lampposts during a rehabilitation of the bridge in 2018-2019. Each post was documented on base drawings produced with a 3D laser scan. The assessment annotated cracks, losses, and other conditions requiring treatment of each. Work was performed by another firm before re-installation.