by G. P. M. Hartnell, President
Concerned Citizens’ Coalition
Three eminent architectural historians residing and working in Victoria now oppose the ill-conceived plan by the City of Victoria under socialist Mayor Dean Fortin to demolish the Joseph Strauss-designed Johnson Street Bridge, recently popularly renamed ‘the Blue Bridge.’
Yule Heibel, a former art and architectural history professor at Harvard, FOCUS magazine columnist, and now resident in the leafy Rockland neighbourhood of Victoria, was the first to courageously attack the plan in her June FOCUS column entitled ‘Blue Bridge Blues.’
In that two page essay, Yule Heibel wrote that the Johnson Street Bridge ‘was designed by Joseph Strauss (1870 – 1938) who subsequently built San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge (1933 – 37).
‘Strauss wasn’t just any engineer: he patented the Strauss Bascule Bridge system, and used that system here.
‘The Blue Bridge is, literally, an embodiment of an heroic age that celebrated industrial progressivism.
‘There are relatively few bascule bridges left in North America overall, but there are even fewer of this particular sub-type.
‘Its historical significance is assured, yet its existence (in “heritage conscious” Victoria, no less) appears endangered.’
That unambiguous acknowledgement of the historical signficance of the Johnson Street Bridge was echoed by former Victoria City Councillor Martin Segger, one of the few Councillors who spoke out against inappropriate commercialization of Saint Anne’s Academy in the late eighties, and now resident scholar and director of the University of Victoria’s Maltwood Art Museum.
Commenting on Yule Heibel’s ‘Blue Bridge Blues’ essay, Mr. Segger wrote to the CCC BLOG: ‘The heritage values underpinning the significance of the historic Johnson Street trunnion bascule bridge are its iconic and monumental presence on Victoria’s Inner Harbour and the fact that it was designed by one of the most famous bridge designers in the world, Joseph Strauss.
‘Would Victoria’s current City Council have wisdom and fortitude to commission a contemporary world class engineer of the likes of, say, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava?
‘I doubt it. So let’s leave the current bridge alone.’
The new issue of FOCUS magazine carries a letter from yet another architectural historian moved to speak out against the philistinism of the N.D.P.- Green Party-dominated Victoria City Council.
Danda Humphreys, an English-born author of four popular architectural histories of Victoria, wrote to the editor of FOCUS, Leslie Campbell, in the July 2009 number of that free glossy magazine:
‘I agree with Yule Heibel’s rationale for saving our bridge.
‘We could keep the bridge, and make it work better for us, with some adjustments.
‘Let’s move the E & N train station across the bridge to the Roundhouse (which the developer says he is eager to renovate/restore), and create a unique historic attraction there.
‘Small shuttle buses can take train passengers, nearby Dockside Green residents, and others across the bridge to downtown.
‘Then we can remove the rails from the bridge’s north side, resurface and divide it for pedestrians and cyclists, enhance appreciation of our historic Upper Harbour, and leave Strauss’ bascule (see-saw-style) bridge where it belongs.’
Danda Humphreys’ suggestion that the train station be relocated to the Roundhouse is echoed today in another letter to the Editor of the Victoria News.
Larry Zilinsky of Saanich writes: ‘there is a group that is trying to restore the historic roundhouse just up the road from the blue bridge.
‘So why does the train have to go across the bridge in the first place?
‘Why not stop the train at the roundhouse, turn the whole thing into a tourist attraction, and put at least some of the taxpayers’ money that’s saved by not needing a tressle and railroad bridge towards the restoring of the roundhouse?
‘Vic West benefits, the tourists benefit, the taxpayers benefit, and the bridge project is virtually cut in half.’
[The full texts of Yule Heibel's 'Blue Bridge Blues' essay, and Martin Segger and Danda Humphrey's comments on it are found in separate postings to the CCC BLOGROLL on the right, or by using the 'search' function. Mr. Zilinsky's full letter will be found in the next post to the CCC BLOG.]
CCC
2 responses so far ↓
joel goldsmith // July 4, 2009 at 12:01 am |
very much agree with Danda Humphreys that the pedestrian and bike traffic over the Blue Bridge needs to be sorted out and the only way to do that is by moving the rail station. Making the rail station an architectural focal point in West Vic would add some vibrancy to the neighborhood. This raises the question as whether the City has a transportation plan which would lay the groundwork for deciding whether a new or restored bridge was the appropriate solution
goyodelarosa // July 4, 2009 at 12:54 am |
Thanks for your comment, Joel. I also agree that the rail station might be better sited at the Roundhouse.
As to what sort of plans the City of Victoria has for this precinct, I can’t answer your question, but should you get a straight answer from the Mayor and/or one of his elusive philistine Councillors, let us know, will you?
Very sincerely
Gregory Hartnell (‘Goyo de la Rosa’)
Concerned Citizens’ Coalition President
CCC