(
Archived Bridge Hunter;
Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges;
HAER;
Satellite)
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HAER CAL,19-PASA,11--2
2. OVERALL VIEW OF BRIDGE, LOOKING NORTH. THE PIONEER BRIDGE CAN BE SEEN BEHIND THE OLDER BRIDGE. - Colorado Street Bridge, Spanning Arroyo Seco at Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, Los Angeles County, CA
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"Significance: The Colorado Street Bridge is an eleven-arched
reinforced concrete structure,
the longest and
highest bridge of its time. It was the first
high bridge across the Arroyo Seco, and is an
important visual landmark in Pasadena.
Through its design and construction, the
bridge represents the advancing concrete
technology of the twentieth century and the
ornamental aesthetic of the late nineteenth
century. The Colorado Street Bridge was
designed by one of the nation's foremost
bridge engineers, and constructed by a well known California builder. The local community
played an important role In planning and
funding construction." [
HAER_data, my emphasis in bold]
I added the "cement" label to these notes since this bridge was a landmark concrete bridge in terms of length and height.
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| Carlos G. Lucero posted, cropped |
In the arid southwest of the United States more than anywhere else, the growth of a city was dependent upon water. Pasadena was founded where it was exactly to take advantage of a reliable water supply, the Arroyo Seco ("Dry Gulch" in English). It was a reliable source of water in a rather dry environment.
However, the Arroyo Seco was also problem, it was deep in a steep sided canyon. This meant that Pasadena was physically isolated from its western neighbors. Travelers would have to make long detours passable crossing north or south of Pasadena.
This was finally changed by James Scoville. He had been the Vice President of the Elgin Watch Co., President of the Prairie State Bank, and a trustee of what would later be known as California Institute of Technology. He built a pleasure garden on the bluff above the Arroyo Seco which went down the slope of the canyon walls to the stream itself. There he built a small dam and pump house. The top of the dam served as the eastern abutment of a wooden bridge, the first connect Pasadena to the western side of the Arroyo. Scoville Bridge was still in service when the much larger and grander Colorado Blvd. Bridge was built above it.
[David Kimbrough via ArchivedBridgeHunter]
The Arroyo Seco doesn't supply much water today. Given the channelization, today it is a stormwater drain.
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California Historical Society CHS-7799 via USC Digital Library via BridgeHunter
"Scoville Bridge is visible beneath." |
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| Pasadena Orange Growers Association via BridgeHunter |
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| Postcard via LAist via BridgeHunter |
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| Postcard provided by Mike Ward and Joe Sonderman via BridgeHunter, they uploaded a lot of postcards. |
