Weird Los Angeles: The Curse Of Suicide Bridge - LAist. Situated at Colorado Street, Pasadena, the 144-foot high Colorado Street Bridge is an impressive crossing in Southern California which rests on the original Route 66, its graceful structure a framework of exotic curves and seemingly artistic supports. Despite its image of romance and beauty, this bridge is known for a number of suicides which have occurred since 1913 when the bridge was completed. Six years after the construction the first suicide took place, and it is now estimated that more than one-hundred people have plummeted to their deaths from the heights, although it has been argued that the figure is closer to two-hundred. Many of these suicides are blamed on the Great Depression of the 1930s which left many local folk so distraught that the only way they could exit the gray times was to end their life. Suicide Bridge In Pasadena, California.
Yea I know, I heard about this “haunted bridge” countless times. Always a product of urban legends. I hope… I pass by this bridge on a weekly basis on my morning commute to work. The bridge itself is really beautiful to look at. Takes the edge off from the consistent traffic on the 210 fwy. Although many have jumped from the bridge to a horrific death, is the bridge really haunted? I must admit that sometimes when I hit “Old Town” Pasadena for some drinks with friends, I might drive through that bridge at night.
Besides the “eerie” feelings that I get, I’ve never seen this bridge as a haunted bridge. I believe websites like “The Shadow lands” are responsible for 99.9999% of the haunted high school auditoriums, bridges and YMCAs. Full source: Digital Journal The following two tabs change content below. I'm a writer, a runner, and a hell of a coffee drinker residing in Los Angeles. Colorado Street Bridge (Pasadena, California) 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 Waddell & Harrington, 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 with 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. Suicide bridge. Weird California - Pasadena's Suicide Bridge. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91105 Pasadena Colorado Street Bridge When the beautiful bridge along Colorado Street over the Arroyo Seco River bed was built in Pasadena back in 1912, I'm sure the builders never thought it would acquire the nick name, "Suicide Bridge", a name it acquired way back in 1932.
The Colorado Street Bridge curves over the river bed, giving the bridge a rather unique perspective as you drive over it. Along with the lamps located at regular intervals, the bridge has a very romantic and old charm look from a distance. But this unique structure has seen over 100 people commit suicide from it, plummeting the 150 feet to the ground below. The first suicide was on November 16, 1919, and nearly fifty of the suicides occurred during the Great Depression from 1933 to 1937. Looking along the Colorado Street Bridge Along with the suicides, of course, came the ghosts. Urban legends of course surround the history of the bridge. "The Slide" Photo courtesy of Mike Zens. Suicide Bridge in Pasadena, California. In Pasadena's early days, before the historic Colorado Street Bridge was built, crossing the Arroyo Seco was an extremely difficult task.
Horses and wagons descended the steep eastern slope, crossed the stream over a smaller bridge, and then climbed up the west bank through Eagle Rock Pass. The bridge was designed and built by the J.A.L. Waddell firm of Kansas City, Missouri and named for Colorado Street (now called Colorado Boulevard,) which was the major east-west thoroughfare through Pasadena. Known for its Beaux Arts arches, ornate lamp posts and railings, initial design proved difficult due to finding solid footing in the Arroyo bed. However, when engineer John Drake Mercereau conceived the idea of curving the bridge, he created a work of art. The first tragedy on the bridge occurred before construction was even complete. The first suicide occurred on November 16, 1919 and was followed by a number of others, especially during the Great Depression.