As long as we’re still celebrating the Christmas season, remember the famous Bridge Scene in It’s a Wonderful Life? Had the film been set in Southern California, Jimmy Stewart certainly would’ve considered hurling himself from the spans of Pasadena’s Colorado Street Bridge instead of some snowy old trestle.
Built in 1913, the overpass towers 150 feet above the Arroyo Seco, a historically dry ravine that trickles toward the L.A. River. Thanks to its Beaux Arts charm, the 1,467 foot roadway has become the “Gateway to Pasadena.” But scores of people jumping from the structure over the decades (nearly 50 during the Great Depression alone!) have given it a more morbid nickname: Suicide Bridge.
Archway of Doom?
Predictably, lots of ghost stories dog the bridge. The oldest involves phantom workers allegedly buried alive during its construction. There are also reports of a woman leaper in a wispy gown disappearing over the railings, and disembodied cries from the canyon floor that several ghost hunters claim to have captured as EVPs.
As I snapped these dusk photos, however, the only chills enveloping me were the wintry breezes nipping through the footings. Despite the cold, I opted to linger after sunset for a few night shots. But when darkness descended on the grim arches, the whole atmosphere suddenly turned foreboding.
So much so, that for the first time in photographing a SoCal haunt, I actually got the creeps — an ominous feeling that the dead were just waiting to materialize. Heeding my own inner voice to get the bejeezus out of there, I quickly packed up my equipment and left the Arroyo’s ill-fated spirits in peace to do whatever it is they like to do after nightfall.
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I like these pictures of this bridge. I don’t think of LA as having great bridges … but now I keep seeing interesting bridges all over the place here.
Thanks, Vanessa. I’ve found that for whatever reason, some of our most impressive bridges get lost in the urban landscape. But if you keep your eyes open, there’s some amazing architecture out there. — MI