Hawthorne Bridge, Portland, Oregon

Even the Queen of Squares admits sometimes only a oblong will do; and the photo above is a case in point. The bridge didn’t look right squared up close. It deserved an oblong.

Hawthorne Bridge is one of twelve that cross the Willamette River in Portland. It is a truss bridge with a vertical lift. Built in 1910, it is the oldest bridge of its type still in operation in the United States. It is painted in green with red trim, but it was once yellow-ochre. Now that colour would have been perfect for a golden rectangle but the above image is not that shape either.

So here’s a square to make sure I meet the main rule of the Squares Challenge.

Steel Bridge, Portland, Oregon

The squared eyed members of the Squares Gang will have spotted it is not just the shape of my second image that looks different, the content looks different too. That’s because whilst the bridge pictured is a truss bridge with a vertical lift crossing the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon it is not the same bridge.

This is Steel Bridge, built in 1912 and it replaced a 1888 double-deck swing bridge of the same name. As you can see it still has a double-deck but they are now moved with vertical lifts. On the lower deck are pedestrians, cyclists and trains and on the upper deck light rail and road traffic. Amazingly each deck moves independently of the other, and the lower one telescopes into the higher one when the lift is fully raised. Now that’s impressive geometry!

113 thoughts

  3. This is great work and also beautiful photographs. Geometry is great in our life and you share how it is and beautiful. Thank you dear BeckyB, have a nice day, Love, nia

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  6. For me that’s part of the fun of the challenge, finding those images that look good (and sometimes better) cropped into squares! 🙂

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    1. yes oblongs for these bridges is definitely better – had to make one square though as otherwise these bridges would have been lost in my archives!

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  18. What complicated structures these bridges are and you’ve done well to describe them so thoroughly. I know what you mean about oblong photos – I have one in tomorrow’s post which just wouldn’t have worked as a square. I’m sure you’ll agree when you see it. 🙂

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    1. thank you – a sign of Robert’s influence over the years with the descriptions 🙂

      and look forward to seeing your oblong amidst squares tomorrow

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    2. ooh just seen your bridge – wonderful. I didn’t walk across any of my truss bridges so didn’t capture the glory of the internal view like you have

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