A bridge commemorating Toronto's relationship with Amsterdam has been allowed to fall into atrocious disrepair over the last few years, serving as nothing but a rusty eyesore to anyone in the Harbourfront area.

The steel cable footbridge crossing the boat slip between Lower Simcoe and Rees Streets was opened during a visit by the Amsterdam mayor in 1978. 

Two years before the bridge's dedication, in 1974, then-Toronto Mayor David Crombie attended a similar ceremony in Amsterdam, where one of the city's bridges crossing the Amstel River was renamed as Torontobrug, or the Toronto Bridge.

The now-shuttered bridge in Toronto served as a connection of the Waterfront Trail between Harbourfront Centre and the aptly-named Amsterdam Brewhouse, and a prime photo spot in a notoriously touristy part of the city (it was even featured on the big screen in My Big Fat Greek Wedding).

Not as imposing as some of the others, but this is Amsterdam bridge by Toronto’s waterfront. Fun fact, it was featured in the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, and is also where my beau kissed me on our first date 🙃 pic.twitter.com/7xcdFhw0lT

— Outdoors Maiden 👩‍🌾 (@outdoorsmaiden) November 30, 2023

But, as of 2021, the piece of infrastructure hasn't been the setting of many photos, given that it's been shuttered to the public over safety concerns.

And the cultural institution that maintains it, Harbourfront Centre, says that residents shouldn't expect it to return anytime soon.

"It requires significant repairs," a spokesperson for the non-profit told blogTO this week.

"The cost to restore the bridge is prohibitive for Harbourfront Centre considering our limited capital funds. Reopening it safely depends on the financial support of the City of Toronto."

Other amenities have also gone the way of the bridge amid Harbourfront Centre's financial hardships — a gift shop showcasing local artisans that the organization says "was not generating enough revenue to continue operations," and the lakefront skating rink that was perhaps the most popular in the city.

from here we can spy on what is happening to the Harbourfront Centre's ice rink that was controversially ripped up earlier this year with little notice to the public.

no ice skating or colour allowed! Some new trees though which is nice I guess. pic.twitter.com/2pJrEAsYBQ

— david c (@davidcapizzano) October 19, 2023

After receiving a grant from Ottawa to restore the outdoor rink — which, like Amsterdam Bridge, was in need of repairs — the centre decided to instead transition the space into a year-round plaza, to the disappointment of many who were fans of the unique, picturesque outdoor facility.

Currently, the space is still very much under construction.

It's all been enough to prompt locals to worry that, as they said in a missive to the City, the centre has fallen into a state of crisis that it may not be able to recover from in the face of a serious drop in revenue.

A building on-site that had been vacant for six years has, though, apparently just found a tenant, the Harbourfront Centre Board told the Star Tuesday, and execs seem confident that despite having to slim down programming and operations in the last year, the hub will persist and improve (except in the case of the bridge, it seems).