Skip to main content
Donate

Historic Bridges

March 28, 2011
Support Provided By

Twenty-seven bridges currently span the LA River, from its origin in San Fernando Valley to its terminus in Long Beach. These structures constitute one of the largest concentrations of National Register-eligible bridges in the nation. In 2007, the city's Cultural Heritage Commission declared thirteen of them, which were built between 1900 and 1938, as cultural monuments.

As soon as wagons rolled into the dusty pueblo of Los Angeles, the need for bridges to traverse the LA River arose. The early wooden bridges were replaced in the late 1800's by metal truss bridges, as this 1894 aerial illustration shows.

LAR_0462

Floods and corrosion eventually destroyed all of these iron beauties. Between 1909 and 1944, the iron bridges were replaced by the reinforced concrete spans we see today.

Most were constructed by the City of Los Angeles' Bureau of Engineering, under the supervision of (and often designed by) Merrill Butler. A high school graduate who studied engineering through the mail via a correspondence course, Butler served as the city's engineer of bridges and structures from 1923-1963.

The historic bridges under his watch, mammoth in scale and ornamental in design, echo the City Beautiful Movement of the time. An early form of urban planning, the movement's founders believed that a beautiful environment makes the people who live there into better human beings. As a result, it promoted classical architecture to help improve the character, morale, and civic virtues of residents.

Several of the bridges are actually viaducts, structures with multiple spans, often connected by a tower.

The Los Angeles Conservancy has put together a good pamphlet with the history and more details of these graceful River bridges.

LAR_0462

Riverside-Zoo Drive Bridge (1938)

LAR_0462

Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct (1929)

LAR_0462

Fletcher Ave Bridge (1927)

LAR_0462

LAR_0462

Riverside-Figueroa St. Bridge (1927/1939)

LAR_0462

North Broadway-Buena Vista Bridge (1911)

LAR_0462

North Spring Street Viaduct (1928)

LAR_0462

North Main Street Bridge (1910)

LAR_0462

César Chávez/Macy St. Bridge (1926)

LAR_0462

First Street Viaduct (1929)

LAR_0462

Fourth Street Viaduct (1931)

Sixth Street Viaduct(1932)

The final and most grand of the monumental river bridges, with graceful steel arches and a Classical Moderne design. According to a report released by the Bureau of Engineering, this bridge has been substantially weakened from a chemical process known as alkali-silica reaction (ASR), which BOE engineers said will require a rebuilding of the bridge. There is a current debate about what the replacement bridge should look like.

LAR_0462

Seventh Street Viaduct (1910/1927)

LAR_0462

LAR_0462

Olympic Blvd Viaduct (1925)

LAR_0462

Washington Blvd Bridge (1931)

Flickr highlights
www.flickr.com

Support Provided By
Read More
A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
By Sandi Hemmerlein
A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
By D.J. Waldie
A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.
By Sandi Hemmerlein