THE SCULPTURE

Bridge OneThe Hays Street Bridge has long been a symbol of connection in San Antonio — linking neighborhoods, generations, and histories. Originally built in 1881 as a railroad bridge over the Nueces River, it was relocated to San Antonio in the early 1900s to ensure the city’s East Side remained connected to downtown as rail lines expanded. Constructed before electricity using heated rivets and hand labor, the bridge embodies an era of ingenuity, craft, and endurance.

Bridge One is a sculptural tribute to that legacy. Created by artists James Wyatt Hendricks and Luis “Chispas” Guerrero, the work is made from historic beams and girders removed from the bridge — materials that might otherwise have been lost. Instead, they were transformed into a new form that honors both the bridge’s physical strength and its cultural meaning.

On November 19, 2025, Bridge One was lifted by crane into its permanent home at the San Antonio Art League + Museum. The sculpture now stands as a lasting tribute to the Hays Street Bridge, the city it serves, and the artists who ensured its story would continue.

The Dedication

THE ARTISTS
San Antonio metal artists Luis “Chispas” Guerrero and James Wyatt Hendricks have brought new life to historic material from the Hays Street Bridge in a striking sculpture that honors the bridge’s handcrafted iron heritage.

Guerrero, an Eastside native whose nickname “Chispas” reflects the sparks of welding that define his practice and whose work draws on Mexican-American culture and found metal forms, salvaged components from the bridge during its renovation and recognized in those weathered beams and joints the beauty of traditional metalcraft.

Hendricks, a seasoned sculptor and metal artist with decades of experience designing public art through large-scale metalwork, shared Guerrero’s appreciation for those materials and helped transform them into a new sculpture that pays tribute not only to the bridge’s history but also to the enduring artistry in hand-forged metal.

THE INSTALLATION

The Phoenix Column, patented by Samuel Reeves in 1862, was a hollow cylinder composed of four, six, or eight wrought iron segments riveted together. The resulting column was much lighter and stronger than the solid cast iron columns of the day.