The Los Angeles River was tamed years ago. The river, by nature wanting
to be violent and random, doses now in a concrete bed through downtown
Los Angeles. In the city's core, there are over a dozen bridges that
connect Los Angeles across the river--and these bridges are
architectural marvels! These bridges were built in the first decades of
the 1900s, and their history continues. The largest and longest bridge,
the Sixth Street Viaduct, is in the process of being replaced. Others
have been upgraded and enlarged; Spring Street is underway now. Many of
the bridges were designed by one man, Merrill Butler, who made each
bridge different, yet matching. In this volume, the reader will explore
the necessity of the bridges, how they came to be, and where they are
going in the future. The time is ripe for a reexamination of these
jewels of downtown Los Angeles.