The Bridge of Lions
Near St. Augustine, Florida
Spanning the Matanzas River between the old town and Anastasia Island is the Bridge of Lions, often called the prettiest bridge in the South. It opened in nineteen twenty-seven, during Florida's great land boom, a double drawbridge dressed in Mediterranean Revival style with octagonal towers and tiled roofs. A plain utility bridge would have done the job, but Saint Augustine wanted beauty.
The bridge takes its name from two marble lions that guard its western end. They are copies of the famous Medici lions of Florence, carved from Carrara marble in Italy by the sculptor Raffaello Romanelli, and named Firm and Faithful. They were the gift of Doctor Andrew Anderson, a former mayor and a close friend of Henry Flagler, though Anderson died before they were set in place.
By the nineteen nineties the aging bridge was in trouble. In nineteen ninety-seven it landed on a national list of the most endangered historic places, which rallied the public to save it. Between two thousand six and two thousand ten, a restoration costing roughly eighty million dollars rebuilt the bridge while preserving its historic character.
The lions were removed, cleaned, and returned to their posts, still watching over the water.
