In regards to the way people choose to frame and or depict the two different bridges: in the images of the Golden Gate bridge, all of the photographs seem to emphasize the length of the bridge, all of the photos are horizontal. In contrast to the Brooklyn Bridge where there are more photos that are close up, capturing all of the many wires and bars creating the bridge. The photos of the Golden Gate Bridge seem to keep the ocean as a key part of the photo with the cityscape as a dim background. It seems like there is somewhat of a theme in regards to using the city as a key part of the background, but also again the biggest theme seems to be focusing in on parts of the bridge and its lines. There seems to be a lot of photos that rely on the sunset in the background of the Golden Gate Bridge. Where as the Brooklyn Bridge seems to have a lot of dark colors, black and white, cloudy skies, which I think is because the bridges design is dark strong and bold, working well with darker colors and backgrounds.

With 50 plus years time difference, there should be obvious differences in designs that reflect society at the time. The Brooklyn bridge is thick and bold in terms of the towers, almost royal looking, which I think would have been influences by the second industrial boom that occurred around that time. The Golden Gate bridge has skinny tall towers, I think it gives to the art deco period that peaked in the 20s. It is very sleek and modern compared to the Brooklyn Bridge. Which seems like it would fit well with the roaring twenties and the modern social changes that occurred.

I would think that both bridges were a huge part of both cities history and to change either of them would take from the history of both bridges. Both bridges are tourist destinations because of the history, design, strength, and engineering, to me it would never make sense to change the design of either of the bridges. I think that both cities value the popularity that both bridges brought in terms of tourists coming to see the bridges then and maybe even more so now. I know I would be proud if I was from either city, knowing that both bridges contributed so largely to history, art and engineering.

Hey y’all! The purpose of this post is to:

• briefly compares and contrasts the two bridges’ designs, environs, and how people choose to frame and depict the bridges in their photos;
• hypothesizes what the differences in the bridges reveal about the times in which they were built;
• hypothesizes what the persistence of these bridges (each has been renovated and reinforced, but not redesigned or replaced) suggests about the beliefs and/or values of New York City and San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge are both a form of suspension bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA is  a suspension, truss arch/causeway bridge that consists of the weight of the roadway being hung by two cables passing through the two main towers that are fixed in concrete at each end. There are 27,572 strands of wire in each cable and 80,000 miles of wire in the main cables. There is approximately 1.2 million rivets in the bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge in N.Y.C., NY uses a hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge design. The materials used in the towers are Rosendale cement, limestone, and granite. There are numerous passageways and compartments built into the bridge’s anchorages.

The environs around the Golden Gate Bridge are the San Francisco Bay, San Francisco, and Marin County. The strait is 6,700 feet long, has strong, swirling tides and currents, with a water depth of 372 feet in the middle of the channel, frequently strong winds, and terrible blinding fog. The environs around the Brooklyn Bridge are the East River, N.Y.C. (Civic Center, Manhattan – Dumbo/ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn). The bridge was built 6 times stronger than designer Washington Roebling thought it should be due to the possibility of wind stressing the cables, towers, etc. (this was before the use of wind tunnels to test the impact and force wind can have on a bridge).

People choose to frame and depict the Golden Gate Bridge in their photos as a prominent American landmark, with its international orange that compliments the backdrop of the surrounding bay and beautiful display of lights. It has been used in books, movies, and video games. They also choose to depict the Brooklyn Bridge in photos such as wide shots of the NYC skyline for t.v. shows and movies, and also in books and articles.

The differences in the bridges most likely reveal the newer technology, design, and architectural/structural thinking of the times in which they were built. Neither of these bridges were tested for wind impact because they were made before the time of the test, but they were built to be better than what the designers thought they should be, so that they would withstand more impact than anyone had ever thought of before. These bridges pioneered the way for newer, bigger, and better bridges around the world, because they were the best at their time.

The persistence of these bridges suggests that the beliefs and values of San Francisco and New York City are to preserve these national iconic American landmarks with as much originality as possible. These two cities were the foundation of very strong, possibly ahead of their time, suspension bridges that were the biggest and best in the world at the time. The two cities want to preserve the original looks, structure, and materials as much as possible but also it is okay if they need to use different materials in order to achieve that goal, because with newer technology, we now have better means of keeping these bridges up to spec.

Pete Cook

Comparing two of the most iconic bridges in American history can be a difficult task, but when analyzing the similarities and differences between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge a lot of information can be revealed about the architects and the cities these bridges were built in. Both bridges use a cable suspension design, but are vastly different in appearance; which is largely influenced by the cities they were built in. The Brooklyn Bridge looks much more historic with its dark brick arches and its Gothic style. While the Golden Gate Bridge shines with its bright orange towers and modern style.

Built in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in the United States. This historical bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge that connects Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge was largely influenced by functionality. Made out of granite and iron, the bridge was meant to endure the weather and the rapidly growing population of New York City. It’s historic look made the Brooklyn Bridge a symbol of pride to its community.

The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and for almost thirty years it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Built almost fifty years later than the Brooklyn Bridge allowed the architect to have better access to technology and equipment, but faced more obstacles when dealing with San Fransisco’s weather. Constant fog and strong winds caused many issues with the structure of the bridge. The bright orange allows the bridge to be seen through dense fog and the slimmer, more open design of the arches helps the bridge fight through strong winds. The bridge was also built with a thinner roadway to allow flexibility when the wind hit the bridge. The giant towers and bright orange gives the Golden Gate Bridge an elegant modern style that complimented the new prosperity of California in the 1930s.