To link the South Pasadena Oaklawn housing development and a
main thoroughfare, Fair Oaks Avenue, Charles and Henry Greene
designed their only bridge in 1906. This graceful reinforced
concrete structure spanned the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
rail line, a cycleway, and a private roadway. The bridge consisted
of five gently arcing shallow-radius spans totaling 340 feet.
Problems were apparent from the start. First the developer had
not obtained the necessary official city permits that delayed
construction and then soon after completion, a fissure appeared
in the arches. A stress test verified the bridge’s safety
but worried railroad executives insisted on structural changes
to reinforce the bridge. An extra pillar was inserted into the
design. This bisected the graceful arc of the main span and
ruined the purity of the design. At the foot of the bridge,
the Greenes designed a charming waiting station for Oaklawn
commuters who needed to catch the streetcar line along Fair
Oaks. The Waiting Station is made of large boulders in the craftsman
mode topped by a terra cotta roof to offer protection from the
elements.
