The underbelly of the Quince Street bridge from Maple Canyon (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)

Did You Know…

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

…that the historic Quince Street Bridge, which stretches between Third and Fourth avenues in Bankers Hill, was almost demolished in the late-1980s because of heavy termite damage and dry rot? But a posse of neighborhood residents came to its rescue, demanding that the city cough up the cash to refurbish it.

Their voices were heard—and the cardboard teardrops they hung from the bridge’s wooden trestles were seen. As a result, $250,000 went into the restoration project, which took two years to complete. In doing so, nearly 70 percent of the original wood was replaced with “sealed” pine and Douglas fir to ensure its longevity. 

The joinery work of the trestles is an engineering marvel. They can be fully appreciated when hiking under the east end of the bridge through Maple Canyon.