Architecture & Construction

The Brooklyn Bridge was originally designed by John A. Roebling, but his son Washington had to take over the project after he died of tetanus. Before this bridge was built, the only way to travel across the rough river was by boat. In order for this bridge to be functional, it needed to be 3,460 feet long. This is why the Brooklyn Bridge was the first to have steel cables. Its materials had to be the strong stone, iron, and steel to stand up to over a century of weathering. It took 13 years to build and was the tallest bridge in the world when it opened. A total of thirteen thousand and five hundred people paid one cent to cross it, and that was just on opening day.

Building the Brooklyn Bridge was as difficult as it looked.