Matanzas River Bridge

Dublin Core

Creator

John Greiner

Title

Matanzas River Bridge

Alternative Title

Bridge of Lions

Contributor

Peter Kendrick Engineering
William W. Willoughby
Dr. Andrew Anderson II

Date Created

1925-1927

Date Modified

1970s
2005-2010

Type

This is an automotive and pedestrian bridge.

Description

The Bridge of Lions was designed by John Greiner and built between 1925 and 1927, officially opening to traffic in February of that year. Built in order to connect the blossoming Anastasia Island and the mainland City of St. Augustine, the Bridge of Lions, (originally called the Matanzas River Bridge), has become a major landmark not just in St. Augustine, but in Florida. Before the current bridge, there was a wooden bridge, built in 1895 and renovated in 1904 to accommodate an electric trolley. The old bridge was accessible from King Street. Due to the increase in traffic, in 1925, construction began on the new bridge.

The Florida Society of Civil Engineers, in 1972 declared that the Bridge of Lions and the Gandy Bridge over Tampa Bay as the two most significant bridges in the State. During this decade, repair work did occur. The historical significance to the state designation helped pave the way for the 1982 addition of the Bridge of Lions to the National Register of Historic Places. But, in 1997, the National Trust for Historic Preservation featured the Bridge of Lions on its yearly "11 Most Endangered Sites" leading to a multi-year effort from 2005 to 2010 to rebuild the historic bridge because it was structurally unsound and did not meet Coast Guard guidelines for drawbridges. The City had a grand reopening of the Bridge in 2010. 

The original marble lions, placed at the western entrance of the bridge, were donated by Dr. Andrew Anderson II after he commissioned F. Romanelli of Florence, Italy to sculpt a pair of lions similar to those at the Loggia de Lanzi in Florence. Former Flagler College professor, Enzo Torcolletti, assisted with the restoration of the lions both as part of the rebuilding of the bridge, and several years later when two high school students sprayed the lions with graffiti in 2011.

In 2015, additional, but granite, lions were added to the eastern side of the bridge on Anastasia Island. These were commissioned and donated by St. Augustine residents Wolfgang and Miki Schau.

In 2023, access to the bridge from King Street was blocked while the intersection was excavated to remove a 19th century ship found buried near the western onramp to the bridge.

Mediator

This bridge is accessible free-of-charge throughout the year to automotive and pedestrian traffic.

Rights Holder

Florida Department of Transportation
605 Suwannee Street, MS 57
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450
FDOT

Source

The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (1926): Bowen, Beth Rogero. Bridge to a Dream: Building the Bridge of Lions and Davis Shores, 1925-27. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2010.

Photograph 2 (1927): Bowen, Beth Rogero. Bridge to a Dream: Building the Bridge of Lions and Davis Shores, 1925-27. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2010.

Photograph 3 (1936): Bowen, Beth Rogero. Bridge to a Dream: Building the Bridge of Lions and Davis Shores, 1925-27. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2010.

Photograph 4 (2013): Owens, Katherine. "Close-Up of Lion." August 20, 2013.

Photograph 5 (2013): Owens, Katherine. "Bridge of Lions." August 20, 2013.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Berglund, Don D. St. Augustine Preservation vs. Makeover: Dynamics of Public Policy in America’s Oldest City. Flagler Beach, FL: Old Kings Road Press, 2015.

Bowen, Beth Rogero. Bridge to a Dream: Building the Bridge of Lions and Davis Shores, 1925-27. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2010.

"Bridge of Lions." Visit St. Augustine. December 26, 2023. https://www.visitstaugustine.com/thing-to-do/bridge-lions.

"Bridge Reopening Ceremony Takes Shape." Historic City News. 2009. https://historiccity.com/2009/staugustine/news/bridge-reopening-ceremony-taking-shape-1966.

Clark, Jessica. “Plank by Plank, Archaeologists Remove 1800’s Boat from Mud Under a Road in St. Augustine.” First Coast News (On Your Side). October 11, 2023. https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/plank-by-plank-archaeologists-remove-1800s-boat/77-6d06a081-f96c-4731-b305-63daa67a9702.

"Graffiti Artist Who Defaced Bridge of Lions Apologizes to City." St. Augustine Record. January 2, 2012. https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/local/2012/01/03/graffiti-artist-who-defaced-bridge-lions-apologizes-city/16186150007/.

"The History Behind the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine." Florida’s Historic Coast. March 5, 2019. https://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/blog/the-bridge-of-lions/.

Rights

Flagler College’s Rare Books, Floridiana & Institutional Repository are neither the original nor current copyright owner for the photographs. Please contact the publisher or source cited for each photograph to obtain a copy and/or permission to reproduce these items.

Date Submitted

This record was last updated on May 21, 2025.

Citation

John Greiner, “Matanzas River Bridge,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed June 12, 2025, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/299.

Geolocation