Don Gaspar Avenue crosses the Santa Fe River on the bridge under your feet, a graceful ribbon of concrete between Alameda and E. De Vargas Streets. Built in 1934, this crossing introduced to the area the use of reinforced concrete to achieve a thinner, more appealing appearance. The layout came from the hand of state bridge engineer E.B. Van de Greyn, whose design avoided bulk and favored a lighter profile that still performs the bridge’s practical work.
Locals have also called it El Puente de Los Conquistadores, a reminder that this modest structure has a life in the community beyond its engineering. In 2002 the bridge was recognized for its significance with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places, a formal acknowledgement of both aesthetic and historical value. Stand here for a moment and notice the proportions—how the thin concrete lines span the flow of the Santa Fe River below while carrying the steady passage of Don Gaspar Avenue above.
Imagine the 1934 decision to use this material here, chosen to make an appealing crossing that would serve the city for decades. Below you the Santa Fe River slips under E.B. Van de Greyn's thin concrete lines.