Monongahela Incline
The Monongahela Incline is a funicular located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by Prussian-born engineer John Endres in 1870, it is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States.
| Monongahela Incline | |
|---|---|
Lower station of the Monongahela Incline | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Pittsburgh Regional Transit |
| Locale | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Termini |
|
| Stations | 2 |
| Service | |
| Type | Funicular |
| History | |
| Opened | May 28, 1870 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 635 feet (194 m) |
| Track gauge | 5 ft (1,524 mm) |
| Electrification | 1935 |
| Operating speed | 6 mph (9.7 km/h) |
Monongahela Incline | |
| Location | Grandview Avenue at Wyoming Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°25′55″N 80°0′20″W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1869 |
| Architect | John Endres and Caroline Endres |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001742 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 25, 1974 |
| Designated CPHS | March 15, 1974 |
| Designated PHLF | 1970 |
It is one of two surviving inclines in Pittsburgh (the other is the nearby Duquesne Incline) from the original 17 passenger-carrying inclines built there starting in the late 19th century. Its lower station is across the street from what is now the Station Square shopping complex. It is easily accessible from the light rail system at the Station Square station.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1977 both inclines were designated as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).