For about 20 years, two huge trusses from the Golden Gate Bridge have stood on a property in Penngrove, a small town in Sonoma County.
The trusses — one about 37 feet long and 15,000 pounds, the other about 19 feet long and 8,000 pounds — were originally purchased and shipped to Penngrove when the Fort Point side of the Golden Gate Bridge was being retrofitted in the early 2000s. But they have a new owner now, who is willing to part with both for $12,000.
Justin McGrath runs JW McGrath Auctions, an estate sale company in Sonoma County’s Rohnert Park. He is also an avid collector of storage devices. “‘Storage Wars’ is what I do” is how he phrased his profession to SFGATE.
McGrath bought the Golden Gate Bridge trusses, among a number of bromines, about a month and a half ago at a lien auction on the Penngrove property, he said. The rest of the memories actually went for significantly more; McGrath captured everything else for something between $4,000 and $5,000, while the canopy chairs were just $1,000, he said.
Two Golden Gate Bridge trusses, which have been on a property in Penngrove, California for two decades, are now for sale for $12,000.
Courtesy of Justin McGrathMcGrath was able to quickly turn much of the Golden Gate Bridge memorabilia into a man who works with furniture. But the roof chairs have gone unpurchased since late February, listed on Facebook Marketplace for a combined $12,000, as first reported by KRON.
“They’re still sitting where I bought them,” McGrath told SFGATE. “The guy is nice enough to rent me a place until I can figure out how to get them out of there.”
McGrath settled on $12,000 after researching the marketplace for other sections of the Golden Gate Bridge. He discovered a “funky little piece” that sold for $1,000 on eBay and believes that if he cut the trusses into 7-foot columns, he could fetch between $8,000 and $10,000 per column.
But cutting up the bridge is time-consuming, and McGrath is a busy man, so he’s offering some sort of wholesale discount. “I’m just trying to turn it around without having to put work into it, is the main thing,” he said. “I have so many different things going on. I’m always hunting storage units all over the country. I’ve been playing catch-up and haven’t really touched this thing.”
The buyer of two Golden Gate Bridge trusses had to find a new location for the large pieces.
Courtesy of Justin McGrathPotential buyers must of course have two roof trusses for their new place. McGrath has a contact who can do the hauling job, probably for another grand or two. He hopes that a winery might want a big statement, something people can take photos with between glasses of wine.
If you are an interested vineyard owner or a super fan of the Golden Gate Bridge with a a lot of backyard space, you can check out the listing on Facebook Marketplace.
