News of the Arroyo
Title: | Vote for bridge wasn't even close |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-05-01 |
Summary: | May 1, 2005 - The events leading up to the construction of the Colorado St. Bridge, plus the regional impacts |
Author: | Emanuel Parker |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | The Colorado Street Bridge was big news in Pasadena from 1911 to 1913. \"Big Bridge Will End Isolation of Pasadena\' read a headline in the Pasadena Daily News on April 15, 1911. Another headline said, \"Great Boulevard To Be Finest In State.\' The state and county were planning an east-west highway from the San Gabriel Valley to the beach, and the bridge was a key component since the only other bridge across the rugged Arroyo Seco was a small, narrow structure with a steep grade on its west side. A few days after the April 15 story, the newspaper showed a panoramic rendering of the proposed bridge. The Pasadena Board of Trade was the lead agency promoting the bridge. The board argued people in Glendale, Eagle Rock and Annandale wanted to come to Pasadena for business and pleasure, but were barred by the Arroyo. The populations of Glendale (3,000) and Hollywood (4,000) were cited as potential Pasadena customers. A bond election was quickly set for April 28, with the $100,000 bridge bond on the ballot alongside four other bond measures. Los Angeles County was putting up an additional $100,000 for the bridge. The Daily News was a major bridge supporter. The paper refused to print an ad opposing the bridge, although its sister paper, the Star, ran it. Public rallies in support of the bridge were held. \"Civic Pride of Pasadena Triumphs at the Polls,\' read a Daily News headline after the election. \"Yes\' votes totaled 2,527, 230 more than needed to pass the bond measure. There were 851 \"No\' votes. Local Realtors were ecstatic. Pasadena\'s William R. Staats Co. said in an ad: \"Do you realize what this is going to do to Eagle Rock real estate? Do you realize that Eagle Rock will now be only two miles from the heart of Pasadena\'s business center, and only one mile from her proudest and most expensive homes? \"The Arroyo bridge is assured and this carries with it the certainty of even greater interest in west side realty. We have some choice property in San Rafael Heights where values, we feel confident, will now increase rapidly.\' The Colorado Street Bridge opened with suitable hoopla on Dec. 13, 1913. Property values rose as predicted. |
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