Built in 1920, El Puente de los Hidalgos, or Bridge of the Noblemen, is an intact example of a steel reinforced, concrete, bowstring truss bridge. It is the only known example remaining in New Mexico. As a functioning transportation technology, the bridge formerly served as part of State Highway 485 and US Highway 64, important connections between the state capitol and towns to the north. It was designed by the Midland Bridge Company of Kansas City, Missouri, from a patent by James Barney Marsh, owner of the Marsh Engineering Company. Limited in its abilities to support a concrete bridge beyond a single span and expensive in its application, steel truss design was supplanted by steel bar bridge reinforcement, a process still used today. As an architectural icon, El Puente de los Hidalgos reflects both Santa Fe’s regional Spanish Pueblo Revival style and the modern spirit of the Art Deco period.
From Old Santa Fe Today, 5th edition by Audra Bellmore with photographs by Simone Frances.