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- From its construction during the Great Depression to its international orange color, the bridge has been celebrated, destroyed in movies, and even experienced an ostrich visitor. With a weight of 840 million tons, towering heights of 746 feet, and a durable design to withstand harsh weather, the bridge has remained strong for over 80 years.
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- Before the Bridge Existed. Prior to the existence of the bridge, the only way to go back and forth between San Francisco and Marin County was by way of ferry boats.
- Rationale for the Bridge. A bridge to create a route between San Francisco and Marin County was deemed vital. At that time, San Francisco was the biggest American city still primarily served by ferry boats; this contributed to a deficiency in the growth rate of the city.
- Design and Construction. Engineer Joseph Strauss was responsible for the design of this bridge and he was in charge of the overall design and building of the structure.
- Initial Construction Proposal. In 1872, three years after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, a bid was made by Charles Crocker for the construction of a bridge that would extend over the Golden Gate Strait.
- It Was First Proposed in 1872.
- The First Design Was Much different.
- It Had to Be Approved by The War Department.
- Many Were Opposed to Its Construction.
- Strauss Fired One Key Member of The Design Team Before Construction started.
- Construction Finally Began in 1933.
- Its Cables Were Made by The Same Company That Built The Brooklyn Bridge.
- Safety Was Paramount ...
- … But There Were Still Accidents.
- There Was An Earthquake Before The Bridge Was finished.
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Three years after completing the transcontinental railroad, Charles Crocker, a railroad executive, made a presentation to the Marin County Board of Supervisors in which he laid out plans for a bridge that would span the Golden Gate Strait, the entrance to the ocean from San Francisco Bay. (The strait was named Chrysopylae, Greek for “golden gate,” ...
In 1920, O’Shaughnessy sent letters to three prominent engineers inquiring about building a bridge over the strait: Joseph B. Strauss, Francis C. McMath, and Gustav Lindenthal. Strauss submitted plans for a symmetrical cantilever-suspension hybrid span, which he had developed and later patented. Reports vary, but Strauss thought he could build the ...
Because the War Department owned the land on both sides of the strait, it had to authorize the construction of the bridge. A temporary construction permit was granted on December 24, 1924, and a final permit was issued on August 11, 1930.
“The Golden Gate Bridge in 1930 had 2300 lawsuits against it,” transit expert Rod Diridon told NBC Bay Area. One of those lawsuits was brought by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which owned 51 percent of the ferry company that took commuters and cars between San Francisco and Marin County. Ansel Adams and the Sierra Club were also opposed to the bri...
The engineer hired Charles A. Ellis, author of Essentials in the Theory of Framed Structures, in 1922. Ellis’s job would be to oversee bridge design and supervise construction. In 1925, he and Strauss brought Harvard University’s George F. Swain and Leon S. Moisseff, designer of New York City’s Manhattan Bridge, on as consultants. By the end of 192...
After years of setbacks and fundraising, Strauss and his team finally broke ground on the bridge on January 5, 1933. It was, apparently, a big event: According to the official program [PDF], there was a parade to Crissy Field, where, after opening remarks were given and a message from President Herbert Hoover was read, there was a 21-gun salute and...
Take out any element of a suspension bridge, and the structure won’t stay standing for long—but the cables are particularly important: They're strung horizontally between two massive concrete blocks called anchorages on each side of the bridge, with additional vertical cables called suspender ropes attaching the main cable to the bridge’s deck (or ...
In the 1930s, the odds were not in a worker’s favor: On average, one man was killed per million dollars spent on a big project. Strauss wanted to beat those odds, and spent a ton of money on safety. Goofing off was forbidden: “Old Strauss enforced the rules,” Pete Williamson, one of the workers on the bridge, said. “All a guy had to do was to stand...
For most of the construction, Strauss’s site was fatality-free. Then, just a few months before the bridge opened, one worker was killed by a falling derrick. A few weeks after that, scaffolding collapsed, falling into the net with 12 workers holding on. The net tore and the scaffolding plunged into the water 220 feet below, killing 10. One survivor...
Albert "Frenchy" Gales, a construction worker, was on top of the south tower when the quake hit in June 1935. “[The tower] was so limber the tower swayed 16 feet each way,” he later said. “There were 12 or 13 guys on top with no way to get down. The elevator wouldn’t run. The whole thing would sway toward the ocean, guys would say, ‘here we go!’ Th...
Learn about the history, design, construction, and challenges of the iconic San Francisco bridge that opened in 1937. Discover how it was first proposed in 1872, who opposed its construction, and who was fired from the project.
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- An earthquake struck the bridge before it was even completed. In June 1935 an earthquake struck the region as men worked atop the bridge's unfinished south tower.
- A safety net below the bridge saved the lives of 19 men during its construction. Golden Gate Bridge: Voters Decide. During construction, a safety net was suspended under the floor of the bridge, extending 10 feet wider than the bridge’s width and 15 feet longer than its length.
- The bridge's orange color was originally intended just as a primer. Thick paint on cables of the Golden Gate Bridge in their iconic color. The U.S. Navy had lobbied that the bridge be painted in blue and yellow stripes to increase its visibility.
- Many 'firsts' were set on the bridge’s opening day. Some of the thousands of guests who walked across the Golden Gate Bridge once it was opened to pedestrians in 1937.
- The Golden Gate Bridge is Not Named for It’s Reddish-Orange Color. Rather, the bridge is named for the Golden Gate Strait, which it spans. On a lovely fall day, you can stand at the south end of the bridge and look north toward the golden hills of the Marin Headlands and clearly see why the strait is considered golden.
- It Only Took 4 Years to Build the Bridge. This is quite an engineering achievement considering the challenging terrain and the fact that is was financed and built during the Great Depression.
- Joseph Strauss Was the Lead Engineer for the Golden Gate Bridge (and Also a Poet) Strauss may have been the lead engineer for the bridge project, but he very wisely assembled a crack crew of designers, engineers, geologists and contractors.
- An Estimated 200,000 People Visited the Bridge on Opening Day. The bridge opened on May 27th, 1935. By 6AM, there were already 18,000 people waiting to take a stroll and it didn’t let up all day.
Jul 17, 2020 · On average, the Golden Gate Bridge serves 112,000 vehicles, 10,000 pedestrians, and 6,000 bicycles daily. The Golden Gate Bridge can move up and down up to 5 meters (16 feet). The February 1976 Rolling Stone issue cover featured a photo of the bridge. It takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Oct 10, 2014 · The Golden Gate Bridge. 1. What's that color? Some visitors wonder why the bridge isn't gold, like made from actual gold (or at least gold painted). Others, like me, have long mistaken it for red. The color is actually called 'international orange' - a variation on the color used now for many astronaut jumpsuits. It was a beautiful accident.
May 25, 2012 · Learn how the Golden Gate Bridge got its signature color, why the military wanted stripes, and how it became a suicide spot. Discover the bridge's construction history, safety record, and financing method in this article by Christopher Klein.
