Atlanta Bridge Endures
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Nov. 19, 2010
In the early 1970s, an Atlanta couple heard that a nearby 1904 bridge was slated for demolition. Cecil and Hermione Alexander fought successfully to save the 280-foot span over the Chattahoochee River between Buckhead and Vinings.
Tragically, in 1983, the couple was driving near the bridge when they collided head-on with a car driven by a drunk teenager. Hermione was killed in the accident. Local officials renamed the crossing "Hermi's Bridge" in her memory.
When the deteriorating condition of Hermi's Bridge became apparent a decade ago, Cecil Alexander took note. He started raising money for an engineering study, gaining the assistance of Sam Olens, then chairman of the Cobb County Commission. Although the bridge was deemed unsafe and closed in 2006, Alexander and Olens' continued to raise money for restoration. And their determination paid off. Next Tuesday the steel bridge will be rededicated after a $1 million rehabilitation.
"It's a historic day," says Alexander, now 92. "I think my wife is a worthy person to have the bridge named for."
To preserve Alexander's memories of the bridge, the Buckhead Heritage Society conducted an interview with him as part of its Oral History Project, according to Erica Danylchak, the society's executive director.
"Hermi's Bridge is a significant landmark that symbolizes the strong historical connection between the communities of Buckhead and Vinings," Danylchak says. "It is also a striking visual reminder of the growth and evolution of our communities, particularly when viewed next to the structure that bypassed it in the 1970s. The restoration project will allow the bridge to survive as a meaningful recreational asset for the community for years to come."
During the project, workers repainted the bridge its original blue color and installed new wood decking.
Alexander visited the site often during the project."I've been there many times," he says. "My wife and I saved the bridge. ... I've been interested in it ever since."
Correction: An earlier version of the story stated that Hermione was killed on the bridge and that Alexander is 91 years old. In fact, the fatal accident was near the bridge, and Alexander is now 92. We regret the errors.
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Submitted by Flo at: November 20, 2010
While researching AME church history in Washington, DC and viewing the 11 Endangered Sites I decided to view the preservationnation.org website. Hence my subscription is forthcoming