The Brooklyn Bride and the Golden Gate Bridge have been iconic since the moment they were built. Both of these bridges have stood the test of time, without having to be completely renovated. In the photographs on Flickr, the Golden Gate Bridge is photographed at a distance, where you are able to admire it’s color and length. The Brooklyn Bridge on the other hand has many different up close and personal pictures. We are able to see the bridge up close, they make for pretty remarkable pictures with all of the different cables crossing overhead. Also the pictures of the Golden Gate Bride, we are never really looking at the cities they are connecting, we can only just see the ocean in the background. With the Brooklyn Bridge, the bridge appears to be the centerpiece connecting the two important cities.

Since the Brooklyn Bridge was built first and about 50 years earlier than the Golden Gate Bridge, it wasn’t as scientifically advanced. The Golden Gate bridge is able to sway slightly in the wind, and hold much more weight at the middle causing it to flex. Another example of how science had influenced the construction, was the safety netting. Joseph Strauss invented safety netting to catch the men if they fell while working on the bridge. Of the eleven that died while working on the bridge, ten of them died when they got too close to use the safety nets. Science has played a huge role in the development of both bridges.

I think that since both bridges haven’t completely been renovated, it shows that both of the cities value the structures. The city of San Francisco wasn’t connected to the mainland and had a population growth less than the national average, but I assume it skyrocketed with the completion of the bridge, bringing much more wealth along with it. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed during a time when ferry travel was dangerous and through treacherous water. I believe both cities want to honor the hard work that all designers and engineers have put into both bridges, it would be a shame for them to dismiss such hard work and accomplishment.

Bridges are not only a vital part of infrastructure and the transportation system, allowing us to easily travel across water without the hassle and delay of ferries, but also function as important landmarks and magnificent pieces of art. This holds especially true when it comes to both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.  These tremendous structures were both engineering marvels when first constructed and represent the resilience and ingenuity of mankind. Both bridges feature twisted cable suspension engineering and were the longest suspension bridges in the world when first constructed.

The Brooklyn Bridge, built roughly 50 years prior to the Golden Gate, has towers built from a combination of limestone. granite, and Rosendale cement. It also features long suspension cables made from steel wire and a neo-Gothic architectural style. The bridge is one of the oldest of its kind and is considered a historic icon of New York City. Connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, the bridge is generally photographed with the New York skyline in the background, a reminder of the bridge’s importance to the transportion of the bustling city. It is said that Warren Roebling designed the bridge to be six times stronger than it needed to be. This, along with the city’s love for the historic landmark and willingness to renovate it, are the reasons why the Brooklyn Bridge is still standing today.

The Golden Gate bridge, completed in 1937, was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1964 and has become an icon for the city of San Francisco. The bridge, famous for its “International Orange” color, is largely comprised of steel, contrary to the Brooklyn Bridge, and is held together by some 1.2 million steel rivets. It also features a more contemporary design than the ne0-Gothic style of the Brooklyn Bridge. Photographs of the bridge tend to be shot from one end or the other and focus on beauty of the surrounding foothills and the water in the Golden Gate strait. Some of the most aesthetically pleasing photos capture the bridge while surrounded by a sea of fog, giving it the appearance of floating on a bed of clouds. Ingrained into the culture and history of San Francisco, the bridge has undergone numerous renovations, including a $392 million program to retrofit the bridge for the seismic activity common in the area.

The Golden Gate bridge is a suspension bridge, and is the twelfth longest in the world. The bridge’s cables system is fairly simple; they run straight up and down. Although eye-pleasing, the “wow factor” of the bridge’s design lies more in its sheer size and length, and bright orange color, than in intricate or lavish details. Photography of the bridge tends to focus on its length and lighting system rather than up close details. It is an icon in the city of San Francisco, and has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which is why this bridge continues to be upgraded and improved rather than replaced.

 

The Brooklyn Bridge, by contrast, is a cable-stayed/suspension bridge hybrid. It was the first steel-wired bridge of its kind, and has an intricate crossing wire design. The bridge also has two large towers from which the cables run to support the bridge deck. The bridge contains limestone, granite, and Rosendale cement and is neo-Gothic style, giving it a much more historic look than the Golden Gate bridge, with many more fine details. Photographs of this bridge showcase its wire system and detail on the pillars, rather than its overall size and appearance. This bridge, too, is iconic in New York City, and continues to be renovated rather than rebuilt in order to preserve this historic landmark (it was actually designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964).

 

I think that the Brooklyn Bridge gives us a peek into past architecture while still practicing new, innovative techniques, while the Golden Gate Bridge was a step toward a new, more modern look and era in architecture and engineering.