Colorado Street Bridge (Pasadena, California)

Colorado Street Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Colorado Street Bridge seen from the Arroyo Seco below
Location:	Pasadena, CA
Coordinates:	34°08′41″N 118°09′49″W / 34.14472°N 118.16361°W / 34.14472; -118.16361Coordinates: 34°08′41″N 118°09′49″W / 34.14472°N 118.16361°W / 34.14472; -118.16361
Built:	1913
Architect:	Waddell & Herrington
Governing body:	Local
NRHP Reference#:	81000156[1]
Added to NRHP:	February 12, 1981

The Colorado Street Bridge is a historic concrete arch bridge in Pasadena, California, USA. Because it spans the Arroyo Seco, it is often referred to in the press as the "Arroyo Seco Bridge".

History

The Colorado Street Bridge next to the bridge for the Ventura Freeway, also known as the Arroyo Seco Bridge.

The Colorado Street Bridge was designed and built in 1913 by the firm of J.A.L. Waddell, based in Kansas City, Missouri. The structure carries Colorado Boulevard (then called "Colorado Street"), the major east-west thoroughfare connecting Pasadena with Eagle Rock and Glendale to the west, and in Monrovia to the East. It spans 1,486 feet (453 m) and is notable for its distinctive Beaux Arts arches, light standards, and railings. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

During the early years of the twentieth century, the Colorado Street Bridge was known locally as "Suicide Bridge" after dozens of suicides. A suicide barrier was added which reduced the number of suicides, but the bridge retained its nickname. In 1989, after the Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California, the bridge was declared a seismic hazard and closed to traffic. It was reopened in 1993 after a substantial retrofit. The bridge is closed each summer for a festival, "A Celebration on the Colorado Street Bridge", hosted by historic preservation group Pasadena Heritage.^[2]

Appearances in popular culture

The Colorado Street Bridge, with the San Gabriel mountains in the background, around 1920.

The Colorado Street Bridge has appeared in the following productions:

• The ABC TV series Alias^[3]
• Seabiscuit (2003)^[4]
• Sky High (2005)^[5]

See also

• Other bridges over the Arroyo Seco

Notes

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ Pasadena Heritage Presents a Celebration on the Colorado Street Bridge
3. ^ http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/film/history.asp City of Pasadena filming locations
4. ^ http://us.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Colorado+Street+Bridge,+Pasadena,+California,+USA IMDb location search
5. ^ Thomas, Kevin (July 29, 2005). "Sky High". Los Angeles Times.

External links

• City of Pasadena's History Page, with a historic postcard view of the bridge.
• History of the Colorado Street Bridge from Pasadena Heritage
• Colorado Street Bridge at Structurae