The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable stayed/ suspension bridge, it is about 1.13 miles in length, it has a neo-Gothic design, the arches are pointed, it has open trusses, the cables have a diagonal design, it is tan and silver in color (originally it is said the color was red) and the towers are made of stone. Most of the pictures depict the bridge as part of the city skyline, rarely is it pictured by itself.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge, it is about 1.7 miles in length, it has a modernist design, the arches are square, the cables are straight up and down and it is International orange in color. Most of the pictures only show the bridge itself. There are a couple of pictures that show the city in the far background.

To me the differences in the way the bridges were built has to do with the change in time, they were built 50 years apart. When the Brooklyn Bridge was being built we had more of a European architectural style and bridges of the length and design was still fairly new. The materials that would have been available during this time would have been in line with the times. When the Golden Gate Bridge was built the architectural style was more modernist and bridge design had become much more advanced due to rapidly changing technology. Due to this the materials that would have been available would have been stronger and more advanced.

I think the fact that these bridges are still standing and have only needed renovated and reinforced shows the type of quality that was expected and the thought of the future that was seen. If you look at both New York City and San Francisco you can see that many of the designs of their cities have stood the test of time. They seemed to value quality work and planning and value the image the city holds for the rest of the world.

 

I believe bridges are a very convenient way to help travlers or everyday citizens commute from place to place. I think it is very crazy about how much construction and way of thinking have changed over the years. Long before, near the time the Brooklyn Bridge was built, people thought the idea of driving over water was absolutely insane to think about. Nowadays, when we see a bridge we think nothing of it. A lot of bridges are overlooked when it comes to the beauty, the Golden Gate and the Brooklyn Bridges are great examples of this. They both have certain different characteristics that one would not see just be quickly glimpsing at them.

The Golden Gate Bridge was opened in the year of 1937 connecting San Fransisco and the Pacific Bay. It is a suspension bridge which means some parts of it hangs from cables connecting to the posts. It ended up costing around $35 million to finish this project.  are 6 lanes for vehicles and a walk way on both sides for pedestrians and bicyclists.  The bridge was painted “International Orange” to compliment the natural surroundings and to enhance the Bridge’s visibility is fog. When photos are taken of the Golden Gate Bridge, most are set at a sunset or a night setting. I believe they do this to really show the beautiful touch the lights on the cables bring. You can usually see the city in the back ground with all the lights turned on to really capture the city setting. Pictures are usually also taken from above the scene to show the length of the bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge was opened in a lot earlier of a time of 1883 connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. It too has 6 lanes for vehicles and supports pedestrian walkway. This bridge took about $320 million of todays money, believing to be because all of the advancements in technology making construction a lot easier in current day.  Construction took a lot more than time and work, it also took around 27 lives because all the fumes and things the workers were having to be put through. When pictures are taken of this bridge, most are during the day setting but of course there are night and some sunset and I believe most are during the day to capture the history and details of the framework and granite of the postings.  The photos are usually taken from lower grounds to show distance from the water to the bridge and to to also show the thickness, which is 15 ft thick.

Both bridges are absolutely beautiful in pictures and both have not been remodeled or replaced which shows the belief that they do hold a purpose more than just looking good in pictures. There is a purpose and meaning behind both. I believe there is more to The Brooklyn because of the lives that were lost, it serves as a memorial as well for the loved ones.

 

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.