This is where “Scoville’s Path” was located, a zig-zagging path that gradually descended the slope, constructed in the 1890s to provide access from town to the arroyo below. The bare hillside above you, wedged between the freeway and the Colorado Street Bridge, holds a significant artifact of the original park. Sitting in the shadow of the bridge is a lavish condo building, with tile work depicting the arches of the bridge that are visible just beyond. As you pass under the freeway, the span of the majestic Colorado Street Bridge reveals itself to you, arcing gracefully across the canyon. Walk downhill and make the next left, which will take you onto Arroyo Drive and underneath the 134 freeway. Instead, walk north on Orange Grove across the freeway and make the first left onto Holly Street. But it’s a short-if slightly roundabout-walk to reach the canyon. Defenders Park, a small green space lined with war memorials, funnels you onto the bridge with no access into the canyon. Map of Lower Arroyo Park suggested walking route to park shown in blueĪt first glance, it’s not at all clear how to get from Colorado Boulevard down to the Arroyo Seco. With Holly Street acting as a grand axis to city hall, Pasadena created a chain of park spaces that linked the center of town to the arroyo. After she passed, the grounds became a beloved public garden known as Carmelita Gardens. Just up the hill at the end of Colorado Street sat the manicured estate of Jeanne Carr, a close friend and mentor to John Muir. Scoville’s Park, as it was then known, would be joined by others. By the 1890s, he was also getting involved in philanthropic efforts, and started investing in amenities that would provide access for walkers and equestrians, turning his land into Pasadena’s first public park. He had a dam built to provide water and power to his orchards, as well as a simple wooden trestle bridge so the orchards could be accessed from town. Following the trend of many other Southern California landowners at the time, Scoville established an orange grove on the western bank of the stream. In the 1880s, Chicago real estate developer James Scoville moved to Pasadena and acquired the land along the Arroyo Seco at the west end of town. Scoville’s orchards, dam and bridge on the Arroyo Seco, 1890s ( Source) Access points have been buried under freeway construction and park infrastructure has slowly deteriorated. But beneath the bridge, things are significantly quieter. Just to the north, the Upper Arroyo thrums with activity, as families are regularly drawn to the Rose Bowl, Kidspace Children’s Museum, the aquatics center, or the lush lawns of Brookside Park. Yet oddly, Pasadena seems to have largely turned its back on this section of the Arroyo. Beneath the many bridges that span the canyon, the wooded canyon offers a lovely and secluded bit of nature close to Old Pasadena. Here, the Arroyo Seco has cut a steep canyon through the west side of Pasadena, separating it from the hilly neighborhoods of Northeast Los Angeles. The bridge is far more pretty from below, where its majestic span and graceful arches can be properly admired. Though the city promises a nicer barrier to be installed in the future, progress has been awfully slow. Where once pedestrians crossing the bridge could enjoy a glorious view over the Arroyo Seco, a tall chain-link fence has gone up along the walkways to hinder suicide attempts, obstructing the view and making walking across the bridge feel more like stepping through a chicken coop. Today’s visitor to the Colorado Street Bridge-Pasadena’s most iconic-will probably find themselves disappointed.
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