Dreaming of (under) the 7th Street bridge

Fun story over the weekend on Off-Ramp about architect Arthur Golding's concept of an open-air mercado with cafes spanning the Los Angeles River below the roadway of the 7th Street bridge. The undercarriage is there, left over from when the new bridge was stacked in 1927 above an existing bridge from 1910. "I call it the Mercado del Rio – where there are shops, restaurants, and craft and art venues,” says Golding, who prepared drawings and proposals without ever actually seeing the space under the bridge.

Previously on LA Observed:
6th Street viaduct as photo op

Photo: Arthur Golding/Arthur Golding and Associates