A Total Loss

    Now finally, From Station #7 you will walk west on Pleasant St., cross over St. Paul St., head north to Andrews St and walk west to a point half way across the Bridge over the Genesee River to your last stop and face south looking toward the Main St. bridge.

   In one form or another there has been a bridge here since 1810. Four separate rebuilds. The second built in 1824 and later replaced in 1838. This last one remained in use up until the early 1960's when it was replaced with the bridge we have today.

   Because of a unique law allowing structures to be built on the bridge due to the fact that the river wasn't navigable the bridge was built up with buildings connecting both the north and south sides to buildings on land. As a result, up till the 1960's driving up main street you would not have seen the river at all. Over time these building were destroyed by fire or flood but always replaced.

   The image below is the view you would see of the Main St. bridge while crossing the Andrews St. bridge. The first time I saw pictures of the bridge I was intrigued. It reminded me of the famous "Ponte" bridge in Italy. While I am sad to know that it was torn down and rebuilt to what we now have, it is also one of the few times I understand the need for its' removal, being structurally a dangerous idea at the least. It is why I strive to document these sites the way I do. Still, this is a definite loss for our history.