Editing Torrance, California (section)

==== Historic Olmstead District ====
Torrance was planned as a new prototype of a balanced industrial city based on the principles of the [[Garden city movement|Garden City Movement]]. The original tract developed by the [[Olmsted Brothers|Olmstead Brothers]] consists of 109 city blocks divided into three sub-districts: residential, commercial, and industrial. The plan is most notable for its axial landscaped downtown commercial neighborhood aligned to have a view of Mount San Antonio in the San Gabriel Mountains. The Olmsted Tract includes a number of buildings designed by the noted Southern California Architect Irving Gill, including the original train depot.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gnerre |first=Sam |date=September 30, 209 |title=Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. {{!}} South Bay History |url=http://blogs.dailybreeze.com/history/2009/09/30/frederick-law-olmsted-jr/ |access-date=September 23, 2023 |website=Daily Breeze}}</ref>

The footprint of the downtown neighborhood, now called Old Torrance, was designed on a diagonal to allow the trade breezes coming from the Pacific Ocean to keep the air clean from industrial pollution for the residential and commercial neighborhoods. The industrial sections of the city were placed on the eastern side of the original tract.

Public transportation played a key role in the founding of Torrance. The [[Pacific Electric|Pacific Electric Red Car]] connected downtown Los Angeles to the new development of downtown Torrance. Designed in 1912 by Irving Gill, the terminus depot of the Red Car line was designed in a Spanish revival style popularized during this era.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bernal |first=Victoria |date=March 18, 2022 |title=Where to Find Remnants of L.A.'s Red Car System |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/where-to-find-remnants-of-l-a-s-red-car-system |access-date=September 28, 2023 |website=PBS SoCal |language=en-US}}</ref>  In May 1913, the [[Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge]] was built. Often called the "El Prado Bridge", it further expanded the industrial heart of the South Bay. The concrete double-tracked arch bridge was the Pacific Electric Railway's first interurban line that connected north–south to San Pedro via the Gardena Line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pacific Electric San Pedro via Torrance Line |url=http://www.erha.org/pesspt.htm |access-date=September 23, 2023 |website=The Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California}}</ref> The bridge was used for transporting freight and commuting workers to Torrance factories. The Red Car line connected under the bridge as it connected to the train depot located on Cabrillo Avenue. The bridge no longer carries any rail cars, with Pacific Electric closing the Red Car line to Torrance in the 1940s. The bridge became the city of Torrance's second entry in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on July 13, 1989, and is used as a logo for the city's new wayfinding signage and city materials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=See What Torrance is Doing {{!}} City of Torrance |url=https://www.torranceca.gov/our-city/see-what-torrance-is-doing |access-date=September 23, 2023 |website=www.torranceca.gov |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Torrance Bridge a.jpg|thumb|The Pacific Railroad Bridge, often called the El Prado Bridge, was designed by famed architect Irving Gill. The bridge stands as an icon for the city of Torrance.|217x217px]]