Shakespeare Bridge

The Shakespeare Bridge in the Franklin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, was built in 1926. It is made of concrete and decorated in a Gothic style. It was named after William Shakespeare and later designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #126 in 1974.

The bridge was rebuilt in 1998 after the Northridge earthquake due to concerns that the structure would not be stable in the event of an earthquake in the Franklin Hills area. As part of the seismic retrofit, the deck, sidewalks and railings were removed and reconstructed using reinforced concrete. The expansion joints were also removed, so the bridge deck is now a one-piece structural diaphragm built to transfer all seismic forces into the abutment walls at either end of the bridge. All of the rebuilding was done in order to preserve the historic appearance of the bridge.