We needed to be in San Diego today. Since there, we decided to make the most of it and explore California's first city and its history through its bridges.
Our first and most exciting was the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, engineered by Edwin Capps (city engineer and twice-elected San Diego mayor) and built in 1912.
The “wiggly bridge” as local kids call it was designed to provide pedestrian passage across a deep canyon, which isolated developing neighborhoods from the newly built trolley lines on the other side.This Bankers Hill treasure, located just west of First Avenue, is an inconspicuous, but truly special footbridge, the only of its type in the county. It crosses 70 feet above Kate Sessions Canyon, which honors the famous horticulturist responsible for many of the plantings found throughout the city.The unique walkway floats among treetops, stretching gracefully for 375 feet by steel suspension cables anchored to massive concrete piers hidden beneath the soil at both ends. The lightness of the bridge allows it to sway and dance in response to wind and walkers. Thankfully when we were there, we were alone for most of our stroll across.Our next stop was at the visually stunning First Avenue Bridge.This Allen & Rowe design is a rare example of a steel arch bridge in San Diego. Built in 1931, the bridge was completely assembled on the floor of a mid-western fabrication plant, dismantled and shipped to San Diego. Originally known as the People's Bridge, it was erected at the instigation of property owners under the Improvement Act of 1911.Our final crossing was traversing the Quince Street Bridge, designed by city engineer George A. d'Hemecourt and Bankers Hill residents. Built in 1905 (at a cost of $805) it is 236 feet long and 60 feet tall, and it spans Maple Canyon. Like many of the San Diego bridges, it was originally built to allow residents better access to the trolley line on the other side. What cool history, hidden in the neighborhoods of the town in which I was born. Wild.Again we learned how old the neighborhoods were by looking down. What was extra awesome was that, on many of the sidewalks, the old date stamp was preserved, surrounded by new concrete. Wow. Joseph Kelley — who engraved “Contractor in Cement, Office 964 Fifth Street” below his name within his oval stamp — laid and marked some of the earliest sidewalks in Downtown. He is listed as a contractor in the 1893 San Diego City Directory.The stamp “F. Anderson” belongs to Frederick Anderson, who was born in Denmark in 1861. He came to the U.S. in 1881 at age 20 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1891. He appeared in the 1903 San Diego City Directory as a cement worker for J.P. Christensen, who was the proprietor of Pioneer Artificial Stone Works. In the 1904 San Diego City Directory and later, Anderson was listed as a cement worker on his own.History continues to delight, wherever it is found!
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1 comments:
So much history in that small area of San Diego! I am glad you enjoyed it. The bridges are so picturesque. And there are even more to explore! Did Steve think it was cool too?
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