'SPANNING HISTORY' TOUR OF L.A.'S STORIED AND ICONIC BRIDGES OFFERS A SNAPSHOT OF HISTORIC MONUMENTS THAT HERALD SIMPLER TIMES AND STATEMENTS OF CIVIC PRIDE.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew

Staff Writer

Each day, Thomas Frierson peers up from a body shop below the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge to admire its majestic arches.

He's even photographed the historic span to show friends in the Midwest a snapshot of Los Angeles.

"I do like the original architecture," he said, craning his neck at the 1929 landmark. "It's gorgeous."

On Thursday, preservationists began celebrating the structure near Glendale and 13 other monuments crossing the Los Angeles River slated for up to $280 million in engineering upgrades -- or replacement -- by 2014.

From a panel discussion Thursday at the Getty Museum to guided tours Sunday of L.A.'s most vaunted bridges downtown, advocates hope to bolster support for safeguarding the largest collection of historic reinforced concrete bridges in the nation.

This week's "Spanning History" events -- hosted by the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Getty Conservation Institute and Friends of the Los Angeles River -- aim to remind residents that L.A.'s bridges are as storied in Los Angeles as the Brooklyn Bridge is in New York City.

"These (bridges) are iconic, known around the world on film, TV and advertising. Commuters in Los Angeles drive across them, and some recognize their beauty and others don't," said Tim Whalen, director of the Getty Conservation Institute, which helped fund a city survey of architectural landmarks. "(But) people don't film ugly bridges. These bridges are irreplaceable."

Like the Glendale-Hyperion, a Streamlined Moderne masterwork built at the dawn of the Depression. With its octagonal pylons, Belvedere benches, green gantlet of copper lampposts and World War I memorial, it serves as a regal gate between Glendale and Silver Lake.

Or the Fourth and Sixth streets bridges, whose 1930s arches have served as Hollywood extras from the sci-fi thriller "Them!" to "Terminator 2" to last year's hit "Transformers."

Or the Riverside-Zoo Drive Bridge, a sleek, Zigzag Moderne built in 1938 by federal laborers at the northwest entrance to Griffith Park.

It is here that city swift-water-rescue teams sometimes whisk people from the Los Angeles River.

It is here that streams of commuters jostle each morning, oblivious of the chevrons emblazoned by Works Project Administration workers along its flanks.

It is here that runners clubs in matching tees, or bicyclists in peacock-colors jerseys, cross paths.

And it is here that tag teams have scribbled graffiti along piers sleek enough to slice the most turbulent river waters.

While the Riverside-Zoo Bridge looks elegant 70 years after its construction, an adjacent state bridge built much later over the 134 Freeway is chipped, cracked and rusted.

"It's a good bridge. It's strong. The design is very good," said Agusto Manaloto, who stopped his mountain bike recently to admire the historic connector. "But it needs a little cleaning up."

Earlier this year, the city designated 11 bridges as historic-cultural monuments, in addition to three already on the list. Built from the early Automobile Age to the Golden Age of Hollywood, the city's reinforced concrete bridges herald simpler times and statements of civic pride.

Of concern, preservationists say, are city plans to widen, retrofit or even replace some of the historic spans designed by the late Merrill Butler, a longtime city engineer.

"They are, in fact, monumental," said Trudi Sandmeier, director of education for the Los Angeles Conservancy. "They are a symbol of Los Angeles coming of age and a nod to the City Beautiful Movement of the time. They are at risk."

The Sixth Street viaduct may be in greatest peril. While preservationists hope to save it, the bridge suffers from a degenerative chemical reaction to alkaline river water, causing its concrete to expand and crack.

While it is safe to drive on, said city engineer Gary Lee Moore, the bridge continues to deteriorate and will likely be replaced at a cost of $160 million.

An additional $120 million is budgeted to widen or retrofit seven other historic bridges by 2014.

The Glendale-Hyperion viaduct will be seismically retrofitted and widened 10 feet, Moore said, with improved pedestrian access.

The Riverside-Zoo Drive Bridge is slated to be widened by 24 feet with a bike path underneath at a cost of $5 million. Construction is set to begin in summer 2010 and should take two years.

Moore said the historic Art Deco chevrons and balustrades will have to be re-created.

"We're going to stay with the historic look," said Moore, one of three members on the Getty panel discussion. "We continue to celebrate the bridges. We're all very proud of (them). These bridges are beautiful. Please take time to look at them."

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

818-713-3730

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Advocates for historic Los Angeles bridges will host "Bridge Mix" tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday of the First, Fourth, Sixth and Seventh streets bridges downtown. Events will be in English and Spanish. Tickets are $30; $10 for kids 12 and younger.

For information, go to laconservancy.org.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) FOURTH STREET BRIDGE

(2 -- color) GLENDALE-HYPERION BRIDGE

(3 -- color) RIVERSIDE-ZOO DRIVE BRIDGE

Some of Los Angeles' finest bridges, prized for their design and decoration, are scheduled to be widened, repaired or replaced. But city officials say they will keep their historic look. A tour Sunday will look at four of the spans.

(4 -- color) no caption (Los Angeles River sign)

(5) The Glendale-Hyperion Bridge in the Atwater Village area of Los Angeles features a World War I memorial and decorative light posts.

(6) Ducks hang out while the Los Angeles River flows under the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge in the Atwater Village area. The city plans to repair, widen or replace some of the area's historic bridges.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

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