Vintage Brevard 17

Good Day, Brevard !! Here's a former amenity of Melbourne that sadly no longer exists, in any way, shape or form.

The Melbourne Bluff Walk was just that - a walkway along the top of the Indian River bluffs from where the historic Green Gables is in the north, along the river, down the hill just south of what today is Strawbridge Ave. (the famous Trysting Steps), ending at the intersection of Front St. and Melbourne Ave. It's not exactly clear where along the path the photo was take that this card is based on, but it is looking north based on the stairs leading down to the river on the right. It was as much necessity as it was an amenity - the original residential district for Melbourne was along what is now Riverview Drive, and the original commercial district along Front Street. As the road situation back then was a dusty and/or muddy affair, the semi-finished pedestrian walkway along the river was a much better alternative, especially considering the wonderful breeze and views one could enjoy. The famous Trysting Steps tied the two areas together, making the 20-30 foot change in elevation a bit more manageable. Guests at the many hotels along Riverview (then Indian River Ave.) could be found mingling with residents like the Wells Family who live at the northern end in Green Gables, and often entertained at the near by Hotel Carleton.

As nice as a river view stroll still is today, the Melbourne Bluff Walk lost appeal as time wore on, property changed hands, and especially, the Great Fire on Front Street 101 years ago in February 1919 decimated the commercial core of Melbourne, which forced a relocation to our current Downtown Melbourne, south and west of the residences along the river. Natural erosion of the riverbank has also undercut much of the land the path sat on top as well. The last remains of the path were a version of the Trysting Steps cast in concrete after the original wood version fell into disrepair, but these were destroyed in the early 2000's for a proposed development that didn't materialize.

The map below is an early (though not early enough) fire insurance map of Melbourne from March 1920, held by the University of Florida, with some annotations and showing the original path of the Bluff Walk.

#VintageBrevard