A dramatic 1938 nighttime photo of the St. Johns Bridge which was completed in 1931. The view is east looking across the Willamette River to the St. Johns neighborhood.
(City of Portland Archives)
Tags: Cathedral Park, David B. Steinman, Holton D. Robinson, Oregon, Portland, St. Johns, Suspension Bridge, Willamette River
August 10, 2012 at 6:36 am
Fabulous photo. I am thrilled to be able to see it so closely when I click, then click again. Thanks!
August 10, 2012 at 7:44 am
My Father worked on this with t he WPA and I was told that there is a man buried at one end of the bridge the story is that he fell in one of the end posts and they were not able to get him out so it was filled with concrete. Do not know if true but this is what I was told back in the 30′s
August 10, 2012 at 8:54 am
To the right of the east side bridge head is what appears to be the original St. Johns high school. According to “St. Johns, A Pictorial History“, the school burned in 1934. Perhaps, like the old hotel at the east end of the Burnside bridge, the gutted shell was left standing for a few years?
That block is now slated for a brand new apartment building with shops on the ground floor.
August 10, 2012 at 9:57 am
Sorry, but the “man buried in concrete” story is a longstanding urban myth. You can find examples all over the country: From the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, SC to the Bay Bridge in SF (which is still perpetuated by tour guides). Jimmy Hoffa is alleged to be buried in Giant’s Stadium, and folks claim there are bodies inside the massive concrete of Hoover Dam. None of the stories are true, but they are good yarns nonetheless. Great photo!
August 10, 2012 at 10:21 am
It boggles my mind that the St. Johns Bridge is not lit up at night. Every time I drive over it in the dark, it just feels old and creepy. A few flood lights would really make this bridge “shine” (get it?). Running off of solar powered cells, of course.
August 10, 2012 at 11:20 am
Nice photo. Very noirish.
August 10, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Here’s a fun little snippet that’s always amused me:
Because of its proximity to the Swan Island Municipal Airport, some government officials wanted the bridge painted yellow with black stripes. County officials waited until St. Patrick’s Day 1931 to announce that it would be painted green!
Can you imagine…yellow with black stripes! The bumble bee bridge?!
Joyce…
I’ve heard that story for years! It always started with… “There a myth that some guy is buried in concrete…” so I’ve always taken it as just that…a myth…but it’s still around and will probably last as long as the bridge does. Of course, when the time comes to build another bridge, there will probably be another “myth” to go along with that one too!
Ben…
I’ve also heard about all those buried within the Hoover Dam too! I think it’s part of the design and construction process…you know…now, where do we hide the bodies! (Sorry…I just couldn’t resist…and besides, ya gotta give those tour guides something else to talk about, other than how big, how tall and how much cement it took…right?)
Eric…
I too, would love to see lights on this bridge! I know, I know…people will start complaining about who’s gonna pay, how much it will cost and what a waste of money, but none-the-less, it would be a real eye opener! You can’t argue with that!
August 10, 2012 at 1:55 pm
The Willamette Light Brigade are working hard on lighting this and other bridges: http://www.lightthebridges.org/bridges/st-johns/
August 10, 2012 at 2:45 pm
I need to correct my earlier comment:
*looks at hands*
Erm, to the left of the east side bridgehead…
August 12, 2012 at 10:40 am
Such a beautiful work of engineering.
Fun fact: there was once a radio transmitter located on top of one of the towers!
I have an old photo of a Nazi warship passing beneath the bridge in the 1930s…
November 27, 2012 at 6:43 pm
@ tad , It was not a war ship it was a bulk carrier.
November 28, 2012 at 10:56 am
@Chris, not sure why you would think you know better than I do… but it’s a good opportunity to do some research.
It’s apparently the German Navy K-class Light Cruiser Karlsruhe, although I see the date is 1932 so one could argue that calling it a “Nazi” ship is inaccurate.
http://historicphotoarchive.com/capsmonner/monner0923.htm
http://historicphotoarchive.com/capsmonner/monner0904.htm
November 28, 2012 at 5:19 pm
@Tad: I believe you’re right about a Nazi warship, but you’re wrong about which one it was. It was the light cruiser “Emden” which visited Portland in 1936 flying the Nazi flag. Here’s a photo of the flag with the ship tied up at the seawall.
I assumed this is the ship you meant in your comment from August, as it is certainly a Nazi warship. In 1932 the Karlsruhe would not have been a Nazi ship and, as can be seen in your linked photo, was not flying the Nazi flag, but rather the German Marine Jack (and yes, technically, the Nazi flag on the Emden was the Naval Ensign and Reich War Flag).
So yes, it was a Nazi warship that visited Portland.
November 28, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Also, here’s a photo of the Emden passing under the Steel Bridge. Perhaps this is the photo you were thinking of — just a different bridge?
November 28, 2012 at 10:54 pm
@Brian – I have the photo I linked of the Karlsruhe passing under the St. Johns Bridge. Looks like I was mistaken/confused about the Nazi thing though… although I guess technically not, since it *later* became a Nazi ship, but that’s splitting hairs.