Ode to the Sixth Street Bridge

All Photos by: Lisa L Peters ©2014

It was November 2014. I was invited on a photowalk in the downtown Los Angeles arts district by a fellow photographer I'd recently met. I was fairly new to photography. And in spite of living in L.A. for about a decade, I'd barely ventured out of my coastal comfort zone. So I jumped at the chance.

I arrived at the designated meetup point with an electric feeling of anticipation. I was greeted by that gritty, lived-in aura that illusively defines a city.

There were four new faces joining me and my recently acquired friend. I parked my car and we started walking. Almost immediately I felt pulled to a dark tunnel leading under the street. It beckoned me to explore. And I enthusiastically insisted that we go check it out. I didn't know it but I'd lured us to an iconic site.

The 6th Street Viaduct- or 6th Street Bridge as most of us call it - was an historic landmark in L.A. It spanned several neighborhoods, the railroad, the L.A. river, and two major highways. It was gloriously moody and alive. But what truly made this place magic was its inclusion in so many classic films and music videos. No matter where you live, chances are you know this place.

The entire structure was demolished in 2016. They've put up new structures, "better" structures, a gentrified hub of commerce and industry. And while they've even created a memorial gallery for the old bridge, it will never be the same.