The Goldenrod Footbridge
Paul Wormser, Library Director
Sometimes as the small bungalows that once dominated the area around Sherman Library are replaced by large residences it seems nothing of “old” Corona del Mar survives. Yet amid the new homes are some elements of the past. One of these is the iconic Goldenrod footbridge, which is nearly 90 years old. The bridge over Bayside Drive, connects two segments of Goldenrod Avenue. It is not only quaint, but it represents a different time, when Newport Beach city leaders sought new ways to attract people to Corona del Mar.
Through the late 1920s, the largest concentration of homes in Corona del Mar was along the bluffs overlooking the bay. One reason for this was obvious – the view. The other reason was that the only road to Corona del Mar was Bayside Drive. Few people bought lots and fewer built houses on the northeast side of Bayside Drive. Reaching this area meant taking a circuitous route. Getting to the beach meant scrambling down and back up “Pacific Gulch” to cross Bayside Drive.
In 1926, the segment of Coast Highway passing through Newport Beach opened, making inland Corona del Mar easily accessible for the first time. Yet, the expected boom in development did not take place immediately. In 1927, the City Council began debating the possibility of a footbridge across Pacific gultch, so that people could reach the beach in a few minutes. Leaders surmised that the improved beach access would also raise property values. Despite complaints from owners living in the assessment district who would have to pay for the bridge, the Council approved the project.
Contractors constructed the 243-foot steel reinforced concrete bridge between mid–May and early-August of 1928. John A. Siegal, Assistant City Engineer, was assigned to oversee the project. The photographs for this article are from a scrapbook he maintained to document the project. Siegal’s photographs are among the many collections relating to the history of Newport Beach, which are available for research at Sherman Library.
While the completion of the bridge did not lead to a land rush in Corona del Mar, it has become an enduring part of the community. Eventually, artists Rex Brandt and Joan Irving Brandt built their home and studio, Blue Sky, on Goldenrod next to the bridge. For many years they taught classes at Blue Sky and hosted other artists. The bridge was a popular subject of paintings. Sherman Library has two painting on public display depicting the Goldenrod Footbridge, one by Joan Irving Brandt and the other by Dan Lutz.