Paul Philippe Cret was one of Philadelphia’s greatest architects of the early 20th century and left his mark on a long list of buildings and structures that are still revered today. The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the Rodin Museum, the old Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the original Barnes Foundation in Merion, the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial in Fairmount Park, and the gates of Woodlands Cemetery are all Cret’s work and are respected and carefully maintained. So it is all the more perplexing that another surviving example of Cret’s artistry, the University Avenue Bridge, has been neglected and left to the mercy of vandals and graffiti. A petition was launched earlier this month to spotlight the vulnerable and blighted state of the bridge in hopes of turning awareness into action.

Cret designed the bridge in 1925, working with Stephen H. Noyes, an engineer for the City of Philadelphia. The limestone-faced, concrete on steel bridge spans the Schuylkill River, connecting South 34th Street in Grays Ferry with University Avenue in University City. It is a double-leaf bascule bridge, a type of draw bridge that uses counterbalance weights and machinery to aid the raising of the decks.

Cret combined modern classicism with Beaux-Arts styling, with features such as carved friezes and finials, bronze lanterns decorated with stylized leaves, scallop designs and sea horse motifs, and two octagonal bridge operator’s houses with large windows on each side.

Although most of Philadelphia’s major waterfront industry was along the Delaware River when the bridge opened in 1930, parts of the Schuylkill River’s banks were home to many industries such as coal, ice yards, and fuel oil companies that relied partly on water transport to move cargo. They employed barges pulled by tall tug boats, which meant the new bridge needed to be a drawbridge.

While Cret and Noyes developed the structural design, City Chief Engineer John A. Vogelson planned the mechanical elements. Their initial design extended the west approach further into West Philadelphia with a viaduct over the Pennsylvania Railroad’s tracks. After receiving objections from Woodlands Cemetery and the University of Pennsylvania, the approach was shortened, ending at a tunnel under the tracks.

The bridge was originally owned by the City of Philadelphia, which transferred ownership to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in 1961 when the road became part of a state highway.

The University Avenue Bridge was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1993 and to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It was included in the National Park Service’s Historic American Engineering Record in 1999.

The National Register nomination states that the bridge received new bascule lifting machinery, including a new bascule lifting span, in 1983, although, according to PennDOT, the last opening of the bridge was two years later in 1985.

Despite its storied lineage and documented significance, the bridge today is in shockingly bad condition. Thieves have stolen its bronze doors and electrical elements, vandals have smashed its many windows, and the exterior and operator’s houses are marred by graffiti.

Cret designed his first bridge, the Delaware River Bridge (now the Benjamin Franklin Bridge), in 1922. Its planning began after the Delaware River Bridge Joint Commission, now the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), was created to supplement the ferries on the river.

Vehicular traffic on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge is double the volume of the University Avenue span. However, the University Avenue Bridge, connecting two populous neighborhoods and only a fraction of the length of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, is also an important thoroughfare for pedestrians, runners, and cyclists. As the Benjamin Franklin Bridge receives accolades this year for its 100-year anniversary and receives regular maintenance by its owner, DRPA, the University Avenue Bridge continues to decay, seemingly ignored by PennDOT.

Industrial traffic along the Schuylkill River waned in the 20th century, but the bridge plays an important role for entering and exiting vehicular traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway. Two recent developments have elevated the bridge’s visibility in the public eye. The University of Pennsylvania’s eastward expansion includes Pennovation Works, a 23-acre site that houses around 100 entrepreneurs in its labs, offices, and co-working spaces and is literally at the foot of the University Avenue Bridge. The Schuylkill River Trail also continues grow its southward and westward segments. The trail now winds its way right under the bridge, which gives it a convenient access point for cyclists and pedestrians into and from West Philadelphia.

This increased visibility has recently raised alarms. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia included the University Avenue Bridge on its list of “Places to Save” in the Winter 2026 edition of its publication Extant. In June, The Philadelphia Inquirer published an op-ed by classical music critic and culture writer Peter Dobrin that advocates for an immediate intervention.

Last week local preservationist Heather Calvert launched a Change.org petition to secure and restore the bridge, urging signees to contact both PennDOT and Philadelphia City Council “to demand immediate security measures for the bridge.”  

“I am hoping the City could secure the site–clean it, board up the windows,” she explained. “Given how close it is to the Schuylkill River Trail, and a major entry point for the city, I would think that leadership would be embarrassed and want it to be secured. If not the City than Penn or CHOP. The big employers with real estate and clout, and lobbyists, in this town.” 

Launched on July 10, the petition surpassed its original goal of 250 signatures within days and is now seeking 500 supporters. “I launched it the night before the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was open to pedestrians thinking there would be a lot of bridge and Paul Cret fans,” Calvert said. “I then handed out 500 flyers on the bridge [Benjamin Franklin Bridge]. Everyone who knew the bridge [University Avenue Bridge] said the same thing. They could not believe that it was being left open the way it is.” 

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