The Brooklyn Bridge
There is something very modern about the Brooklyn Bridge. It is a marriage of opposites held in tension: gothic masonry and sharp angular steel support stays; an open promenade deck and the boxed and girdered lower decks.
'There is something very modern about the Brooklyn Bridge. It is a marriage of opposites held in tension ...'
At the opening ceremony it was called: '... this alluring roadway, resting on towers which rise like those of ancient cathedrals: this lacework of threads interweaving their separate delicate strengths into the complex solidity of the whole.'
When it was built it was unique - a bridge way ahead of its time. Using steel, iron, wood and granite, its designers were able to create one of the masterpieces of modern industrial design.
Building the bridge changed Washington and Emily. It was a great achievement but at terrible cost. Washington never recovered from his condition. As the years passed he was frustrated to watch people often forget the details, and give his father all the credit for the bridge.
Emily seems to have found - in managing the bridge and protecting her husband's interests - a role worthy of her intelligence and accomplishments. She was roundly praised at the opening ceremony. More than fifty years later she was honoured with a memorial plaque on the bridge itself.
Published: 2003-09-02