Monday, January 30, 2012

The Brooklyn Bridge in 1899

The Brooklyn Bridge designed by John A. Roebling c. 1883 as seen from the Manhattan side of the East River in 1899. Photo from The New Metropolis, 1899.

3 comments:

archibuff said...

An engineering marvel. Fantastic to see a subway, trolley and horse drawn carriages making their way across the bridge.

The Down East Dilettante said...

This photograph is so different, and so wonderful---how much the world changes...

We've always felt a bit possessive about the Brooklyn Bridge here in Down East Maine. The granite of the piers was quarried both on Vinalhaven Island, and right here in Blue Hill, the town where I live (granite was our big industry until the rise of concrete killed the business almost overnight. (It has long since been replaced with summer tourism.

Several other buildings in NYC are of Blue Hill or Crotch Island or Vinalhaven granite, also.

Patricia said...

I often wonder how totally awe-inspiring this bridge must have been when it was first opened. I can't even imagine what people back then must have thought. What a marvel. I have a client in Cincinnati, and have often seen another Roebling bridge, built in 1866, which was a precursor to this one and still remains in use.