BRIDGE TO THE PAST: Ingraham Street spans to be renamed for McDaniels

It took years, but Kitty McDaniel’s quest to get the Ingraham Street bridges over Mission Bay renamed in honor of her parents, Art and Anne McDaniel, early pioneers in local government and engineering in Pacific Beach, has finally borne fruit.

Regarding her dad, who was instrumental in designing and building those bridges, Kitty McDaniel gave him a promise when he was terminally ill in 2016. She told him: “I’m going to get your bridge named after you.” His response, “This big grin on his face,” was unforgettable, recalled his daughter.

1 art mcdaniel — Arthur R. McDaniel looks over the pilings of the new bridge over Mission Bay in 1987. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

On Friday, March 15 at 10 a.m. District 1 Councilmember and Council President Pro Tem Joe LaCava will meet with Kitty McDaniel to unveil the new sign renaming the bridges in her family’s honor at the intersection of Crown Point Drive and Riviera Drive.

“I am proud to celebrate the contributions of Art and Anne McDaniel,” said LaCava. “They left a lasting positive impression on San Diego and their community, Pacific Beach. Kitty McDaniel and her brother Michael honor their parents’ accomplishments and legacy with their request and tenacity to rename the two Ingraham Street crossings over Mission Bay. I am honored to assist them and post signage naming both bridges, the Arthur R. and Anne McDaniel Bridge.”

The McDaniels settled in Pacific Beach in 1959, both becoming high-profile civic activists in the beach community. Art McDaniel was a civil engineer, and Anne McDaniel was a community advocate. McDaniel’s engineering contributions to the City include the design and oversight of three Mission Bay bridges: the North Harbor Drive Bridge, and the San Diego Trolley Bridges, where he invented the widely used signature flute column. As residents of San Diego since 1958, he and Anne operated McDaniel Engineering in the heart of PB.

art and ann mcdaniel — Art and Anne McDaniel in Pacific Beach. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“Anne McDaniel was a staple of the PB Town Council for over 50 years, and was voted honorary mayor of Pacific Beach twice,” said Kitty McDaniel noting her mom and her best friend, Mary Wilding, created and co-founded Police And Emergency Services Appreciation Night, the annual celebration honoring first responders in PB. Kitty McDaniel also pointed out that Anne was voted “Woman of the Year” in 2016.

Of her dad and his community contributions, Kitty McDaniel said: “After designing the Ventura Street Bridge over Mission Bay (now called the Glen Rick Bridge), Art McDaniel, a structural/civil engineer, went on to establish his own company, McDaniel Engineering. In 1987, he was awarded the chance to redesign both of the old, wooden north and south Ingraham Street bridges over Mission Bay.

“Not only was he the designing engineer, but he acted as the project manager, overseeing every minute detail of the construction, even diving down into the new pilings to make sure they were safe. Upon finding cracks in these pilings, he had them dug out and replaced. His goal was to create safe, yet aesthetically pleasing bridges to grace his beloved community of Pacific Beach.”

Concerning Anne McDaniel’s accomplishments, her daughter said her mom also oversaw the planting of palms along Garnet Street, as well as successfully advocating in favor of building height limits.

Kitty McDaniel worked with the Council District offices of Lorie Zapf, Dr. Jennifer Campbell, and LaCava in turn to “get them on board” with renaming the bridges in her family’s honor. She also gave PowerPoint presentations to civic organizations in town lobbying them to support her cause in making the bridges renaming a reality.

She did it, she said, for two reasons. First, because those structures were Art McDaniel’s “passion and love,” and also because she wanted the bridge dedication “to remain part of the community’s legacy.”