Santa Cruz in 1882: Water Street Gets a New Bridge

Recently, while biking over the northernmost San Lorenzo River pedestrian bridge, it suddenly struck me that its distinctive arched shape has historical roots. Returning home, I searched the SCPL’s fine collection of historical photographs until I found number 0018, an old black-and-white photo of two horse-drawn carriages passing each other while crossing a wooden bridge. There it was – that same arched shape! The design of the modern steel truss pedestrian bridge was apparently inspired by the Water Street Bridge of 1882. Some energetic reader could probably do a little research (hint) and find out for sure.

Seeing the old photos again caused a few more atrophied neurons to fire, and I remembered where else I had seen that bridge. On my next trip to SCPL, I took the stairs up to the Young People’s Room. There on the wall above the stairwell hangs a large oil painting by Santa Cruz artist Frank Heath. Painted in 1893, it shows a panoramic view of Santa Cruz from a hill to the north (above Graham Hill Road). From that vantage, the nearest recognizable built features are Holy Cross Church and the Water Street Bridge. (Hint: if you go to the library to see for yourself, take a zoom lens. The painting’s position over the stairwell prevents a close approach.)

In the same year that saw construction of the County Hall of Records, which we know today as the Octagon Building, the Water Street crossing of the San Lorenzo River finally got a bridge that could stand up to the winter floods.

The Watsonville road, today’s Soquel Avenue, had already enjoyed a sturdy covered truss bridge for eight years – very similar to the Powder Works Bridge that can still be seen today at Paradise Park. Meanwhile, although it had the first bridge across the San Lorenzo in 1868, Water Street had seen a succession of wharf-style, simple-span bridges built – only to be swept away by the rushing waters and floating debris of the next rainy winter.

The new bridge of 1882 was different. Built in an engineered style called an arch truss, it was capable of a much longer central span than earlier versions, allowing the flood waters to pass safely under. Santa Cruz finally had three well-designed, long lasting bridges over the San Lorenzo (including the Santa Cruz Railroad trestle - four if you count the Powder Works), in distinctively different styles.

In 1908, the first concrete bridge over the San Lorenzo was built next to the venerable wooden arches, to carry a new electric tram line. Finally, in 1914, the wooden bridge was demolished and replaced with another concrete span, similar in appearance to today’s bridge.