Panther Hollow Bridge

Perhaps the most iconic view of Schenley Park is Panther Hollow Lake framed by the Panther Hollow Bridge. The span has been featured in everything from Victorian era postcards to today's Flickr pages. The landmark bridge has carried on through the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, but was built as an afterthought; it was first planned as a second-hand trestle!

Panther Hollow Bridge outdates the Lake (Postcard via Annie's Attic)

In 1890, a temporary wooden bridge stretched across Junction Hollow (replaced by the Schenley Bridge). Plan A was to remove the timbers and rebuild it over Panther Hollow. According to lore, the 1896 fire which destroyed the Casino squelched that notion; a wooden span didn't seem like such a bright idea after the Casino was reduced to ashes.

So City Engineer Henry Rust was tasked with erecting a pair of new bridges, the Panther Hollow and Schenley Bridges. Not too surprisingly, given the timeline, the arches are near clones that were built concurrently, opening in 1897.

Some casual visitors even have trouble telling the difference between the two hand-in-hand spans, but it's easy enough - the Panther Hollow Bridge is guarded by Giuseppe Moretti's prowling bronze panthers (Pitt would choose them as mascots, but not until a dozen years later) while the Schenley Bridge has a chain link fence that's slowly being engulfed by love locks.

Guiseppe Moretti's panthers are the bridge's guardians (via Pgh Murals & Art)

The Panther Hollow Bridge has a main span of 360 feet, a total length 620 feet (it has three arches), and the crossway rises 120 feet above the Lake. It has a couple of observation decks, making it a natural stop for photographers and sight-seeing folk roaming the Phipps/Flagstaff neighborhood. The view from the platforms takes the eye over the lake and into Oakland; the bridge is an underrated overlook. The arches underneath are equally awesome in their own right.

One stone arch forms a cool (in both senses of the word) little tunnel over the Upper Panther Hollow Trail, not far past the Anderson Grove steps to the Lake. The other end shelters the cobblestone lane that runs behind the Visitors Center on the road to Loch Schenley. Generations of kids have hooked up Tarzan rope swings to the span, too, a tradition that is carried on to this day (can't say if the view or the rush is better!).

Under the arches on the trail (Steve Dines via Flickr)

The bridge began showing its age in the 1990's, after a century of constant traffic. The City came to the rescue when it restored the crossing in 1999. The Panther Hollow Bridge even has its own bike lane now. It was designated historical by the PH&LF in 2000 and won City historical status in 2002.

That's only fitting for a bellwether that's gone from the horse-and-buggy era to become one of today's beloved City landmarks.

Panther Hollow Bridge (Bruce Cridlebaugh via Pgh. Bridges)