North Spring Street over the Los Angeles River
Photos
 |
Spring Street looking South The view from the Broadway Bridge http://www.youtube.com/user/bridgesoflosangeles |
 |
Details of the Spring Street Bridge Westward view of the Downtown from the railroad right of way beneath the bridge. http://eng.lacity.org/projects/bridge/historical_gallery/ |
 |
Construction Plans City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineer |
 |
Old Spring Street Bridge Los Angeles Public Library Collection |
 |
Downey Road over the Los Angeles River The USC Digital Archive lists this photo of Downey Road Bridge as being taken between 1872-1874 (CHS-7059). Downey Road, later Downey Ave, eventually become North Spring. Photo taken by A.C. Varela |
 |
Downey Road over the Los Angeles River The Bridge is washed out in the floods of the winter of 1885-86. USC digital archive (CHS-9586). Photo taken by C.C. Pierce |
 |
Map of the Los Angeles River in 1917 The three main bridges over the Los Angeles River on the north side can be seen, Buena Vista (North Broadway), Donwey Road (North Spring Street), and Main Street USC Digital Archives |
 |
Map of the Los Angeles River in 1918 Here is another map with a different listing names, confusing matters further. USC Digital Archives |
 |
North Spring from Base Photo taken by David Kimbrough |
Los Angeles in 1881 (What Los Angeles Looked Like in the Year 1881)
Los Angeles Time (December 4, 1891) Excerpt
A quiet, slow-moving, half-way frontier town was Los Angeles early in 1881.... The change in the appearance of Los Angeles during the past ten years has been so remarkable that persons who visited then and who return now can scarcely recognize it as the same city. In 1881 the Spanish quarter, with its low, one-story adobe houses, was still an important part of the city, and adobe houses and stores were numerous elsewhere. The residences were nearly all of the cottage order, and few business buildings rose above two stories. The only
blocks of importance were those named after Baker, Temple and Downey, the first named being really the only building in the city of any architectural pretensions. In the last-named was located the office of this paper.
Much business yet clustered about the Plaza, around the little park in the center of which was a handsome row of well-trimmed cypress trees. The business center was then at the Temple Block, the business quarter being bounded on the north by the Plaza and on the south by First street. Where the Nadeau Hotel now stands was a German butcher shop, in an adobe building back of which was a horse corral and hay yard. Adjoining on Spring street on the south was a
planing mill. Spring street, south of First, had more bare lots than
residences and no stores, for business had not then begun to move so far south.
Property on Spring street, between First and Second, was sold at $150 a foot, which was considered a very high price. At two other corners of First and Spring were a saloon and a coal-yard. The Wilcox Block on North Spring, where Jevne's grocery now is, was the only good business building on Spring street. Where the Phillips Block now stands was an old one-story adobe building used as a city jail.
On First street there was no business east of Los Angeles street, the road being very bad. Los Angeles street was then, as now, the principal wholesale business street. Main street was then the leading residence street. I. W. Hellman, Gov. Downey and John Jones had fair residences there. On Broadway--then Fort street--were a few cottages. There were a few scattering residences out to the west as far as Pearl street. Even at that time Figueroa was considered a fine residence street, there being residences here and there as far south as Adams street, and on the latter street a number of houses had been built around the Longstreet tract, of a character that was then considered superior. The houses on other streets in the neighborhood were mostly shanties. Below Eighth street most of the town was planted in barley. Acreage in the Morris Vineyard tract, between Pico and Washington, near Main, was offered at $900.
Up Temple street, near Bunker Hill avenue, was a deep cut. Here an old frame and muslin building, called the Pavilion, stood almost alone. There were scarcely any buildings on the hills west of Bunker Hill avenue. Lots were offered this side of the hill at $100 apiece, without finding many buyers. Second street, west of Hill, was nothing but a wagon track. Beaudry was trying to supply the hills with water, which he succeeded in doing after a time. East of Main, both north and south at First street, there was quite a settlement of small buildings. Mrs. Woodworth's residence, at the corner of San Pedro and Second, was then a stylish place. Orchards and vineyards, on patches of from two to ten acres, covered much of this section.
The only bridge in the city in December, 1881, was that at Aliso street {Aliso Road - Ed.}, the Downey avenue bridge having been built very shortly afterward. East Los Angeles was a small settlement, consisting chiefly of Downey avenue, then recently laid out. Lots on the avenue were valued at about $100 apiece, and one groceryman was slowly starving to death. On Boyle Heights there were half a dozen houses, chief among which were the residences of Cummings, Hollenbeck and W. H. Workman. Where the Cummings Hotel now stands a Spaniard kept a little flour and plenty of whiskey. Teams stopped there as the "last chance" this side of Downey.
http://www.intranet.csupomona.edu/~reshaffer/la1881x.htm
This article suggests that the Downey Road (Ave) was built not earlier than 1881. However, the Photograph from the USC Digital Archive says that the photograph of Downey Road Bridge was taken between 1872 - 74.
Downey Ave was later renamed North Spring Street which is not connected with Spring Street. However Downey Park is still there right next to the LA River and North Spring Street.
Facts
- Overview
- Concrete arch bridge over Los Angeles River on North Spring Street in Los Angeles
- Location
- Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built 1881, Replaced 1928; rehabilitated 1939, seismic upgrade 1992
- Builders
- - John C. Shaw
- Western Construction Co.
- Design
- Arch
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 146.0 ft.
Total length: 682.1 ft.
Deck width: 39.7 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Also called
- Downey Road, Later Downey Ave.
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +34.07056, -118.22500 (decimal degrees)
34°04'14" N, 118°13'30" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 11/386964/3770656 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Los Angeles
- Inventory numbers
- CA 53C-859 (California bridge number)
BH 11022 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection (as of 04/2007)
- Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 73.5 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2000)
- 20,000
Update Log
- January 2, 2009: New photo from David Kimbrough
- December 30, 2008: Essay added by David Kimbrough
- December 24, 2008: Updated by David Kimbrough
- December 18, 2008: New photo from David Kimbrough
- November 3, 2008: New photo from David Kimbrough
- June 6, 2008: Updated by David Kimbrough
- May 11, 2008: New photos from David Kimbrough
Sources
- David Kimbrough - kimbrough-photo [at] charter [dot] net