Iconic features of a town’s history often become key symbols of the community. One of Modesto’s notable symbols is the Modesto Arch over I Street, however just a few blocks down the old Highway 99 alignment is another such historic symbol, Modesto’s 7th Street Bridge, affectionately known as the “Lion Bridge” for its prominent pairs of lion statues greeting drivers at either approach of the bridge. Originally known simply as the Tuolumne River Bridge – since it was the only non-rail bridge across the river in Modesto at the time – the structure utilized “canticrete” construction, an innovative engineering design for the era that encased cantilevered steel trusses in the concrete, which minimized the amount of steel needed amid soaring costs during World War 1. For its historic engineering style, distinctive design, and status as one of the last surviving examples of its type, the Modesto City Council designated the 7th Street Bridge as City Landmark #14 in 1992.
Construction commenced in 1916 by contractor C. E. Cotton, and the bridge was completed by March 1917 at a cost of $112,000. The project was planned and overseen by County Chief Engineer Edgar H. Annear, with design contributions by consulting engineers John B. Leonard and William P. Day, and consulting architect Lafayette R. Spangler. The product was a grand beaux-arts river crossing, with ornate concrete details, benches, sidewalks, balustrades, and lanterns. The stately lions were sculpted by Orestes S. Sarsi of San Francisco.
At the opening of the bridge on March 17, 1917, the first car to cross the bridge was a Kissel Kar “100 Point 6” driven by Supervisor John Clark, with Supervisors Vaughn Whitmore, E. A. Johnson, C. R. Little and Contractor Cotton as passengers during an initial trial lap. The Supervisors then formally opened the bridge, driven in a Studebaker Six by William Silva leading a procession of 34 automobiles from the north and then led cars queued at the south end over the bridge the other way. A formal dedication ceremony had been planned by the Chamber of Commerce for the following week, with the bridge to be christened with a bottle of milk, however it was postponed and then effectively canceled as the bridge had been completed ahead of the scheduled dedication and had already been in use by that point.
Bridges are typically built to last, but the aesthetic grandeur of the 7th Street Bridge covered an experimental engineering design which proved to have its faults. Over time, continued use and strain caused concrete to crack, steel supports to be exposed due to erosion, and for the bridge to creak and groan. In 1971, trucks and buses weighing over 10 tons were banned from the bridge in order to prolong the life of the structure. By 1979, the restriction was further limited to 4 tons. One proposal in the 1970s called for the bridge to be restricted to pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle traffic with auto traffic rerouted to the 9th Street Bridge tying in to plans for the development of Tuolumne River Regional Park, but that proposal was not adopted and the bridge underwent necessary structural and cosmetic repairs.
Structural deficiencies continued to develop despite the reinforcements, and with reports backed by the County Department of Public Works, the Modesto Landmark Preservation Commission provided approval for the demolition of the 7th Street Bridge in November 2016 with the stipulation that an interpretive plaza was to be included in future plans.
The preservation of historic community symbols requires civic commitment and intentional foreplanning, and sometimes creative yet adaptive ideas. Given the 7th Street Bridge’s engineering shortfalls, past decisions controlling bridge use and repairs maximized the bridge’s lifespan to the extent possible, allowing the bridge to have served Modesto and the greater area for 109 years. With the bridge now slated for demolition to make way for a new 7th Street crossing, plans to incorporate historic features of the bridge in an educational plaza to highlight the engineering and historic significance of Modesto’s landmark Lion Bridge will ensure the bridge’s impact and meaning to the community are commemorated. Learn more about the 7th Street Bridge and the replacement project at 7thstreetbridge.org!
