Newmarket Radial Arch

The Radial Arch sits right behind the old Film Factory Movie theatre but is now the town youth rec centre with indoor skate park. When I was a teenager we used to climb up to the top of this arch and smoke cigarettes before heading into the movie theatre. The Newmarket Radial Arch was built in 1909 and replaced one section of the trestle bridge, where a section had collapsed due to rot at the log abutment. After the railway discontinued operations in 1930, the trestle bridge was demolished. The earth fill eroded from around the concrete arch and became surrounded by vegetation.
In 1978, the South Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority planned to demolish the structure as part of a scheme to deepen and straighten the Holland River to facilitate flood control. The public became aware and was in favour of saving the radial arch. In 1983, a historical plaque was dedicated to the Radial Arch and in 1997 the arch was designated by the Town of Newmarket. Easy excess to this site as a public walking trail runs right beside the arch.