Location: Queen Street where it cross the Don River
Date photo taken: 21 August 2021
Bridges are built to last, and unlike buildings, which often undergo renovations or facelifts, they usually remain static, garnering little love or attention. So it was surprising for me to delve into the history of this bridge, which spans the Don River at Queen Street, and see just how many changes it has undergone over the years. To start with, this is actually the third bridge (at least) to span this section of the river. The first was a wooden affair, built in the very early 1800s. At some point that was replaced by a metal truss bridge.
In appearance it was fairly similar to today's bridge, but like its predecessor, it was built close to the water line. When the current bridge was constructed, Queen Street on either side was elevated, necessitating the expropriation and demolition of several buildings. Opened in 1911, the
new bridge remained relatively unchanged for years until 1996 when the Riverside BIA commissioned a public art project to beautify the gateway to their community. The work, entitled
Time and a Clock, encompassed a number of different pieces at different locations, including, most strikingly, one on the bridge itself. A clock and the words "This river I step in is not the river I stand in" were added to the western end of the bridge, invoking both the literal river running below, and the philosophical idea of change, a nod to the revitalization then happening in Riverside. In advance of the 2015 Pan Am Games the most recent upgrade to the bridge occurred. The artwork and the architectural features of the bridge were illuminated thanks to a whole host of talents, including the original artist Eldon Garnet.
