Building the Brooklyn Bridge was dangerous work. The project took at least 20 lives. Among the dead was John A. Roebling, the bridge’s designer, who contracted tetanus after his foot was hit by a boat at the Fulton Ferry landing in 1869. Unlike Roebling, most of the casualties were not celebrated men. Since some deaths went unrecorded, we will never know exactly how many men died constructing “The Great East River Bridge.”

Learn more about bridges and build your own using our bridge building workshop! Learn more about transit history by visiting NYTransitMuseum.org

Brooklynites have long known that Emily Warren Roebling was a key player in the building of their bridge, which was the longest, tallest suspension bridge in the world when it opened on May 24, 1883. Still, the naming of “Emily Warren Roebling Way” comes as Roebling herself enjoys a moment in the limelight. Last Thursday, the bridge celebrated its 135th birthday, which generated fresh discussions of Roebling’s essential role in the project.

New York City abounds with tales of ghosts, and with each retelling, we breathe new life into these stories. In the grand Halloween tradition, join us as we venture into the most haunted sites of our city.

Brooklyn Bridge ca. 1903 Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge ushered in the era of the new metropolis, closing the chapter had been a compact unified, "walking" city. Extended routes of daily travel and multiple neighborhoods for dwelling, working, shopping, entertainment, and all other aspects of the urban quotidian became the norm for most New Yorkers thereafter. As the first twisted-steel cable (the cables measure 15 3/4" in diameter) bridge and the first span bridge of such prodigious length, the Brooklyn Bridge inaugurated a new era of modern bridge building. All bridges built after it- the Manhattan and Williamsburg, the George Washington, the Golden Gate, and others - derived much of their engineering methods from this project. Additionally, the Brooklyn bridge, referred to when it opened as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," facilitated metropolitan consolidation; this, in turn, contributed to a widening sense of regional identity, underscoring the commercial and sociological importance of the bridges themselves. In the 1840s, German-born engineer John Roebling developed a cable made of twisted steel wire, the strongest and most resilient technique ever devised for this kind of bridge construction. The new cable enabled the construction of the longest bridge ever known. Improved methods for sinking the pneumatic caissons - the huge airtight boxes of compressed air provided for workers excavating beneath the river beds- were developed during this project. In 1869, while John Roebling was trying to determine the location of the Brooklyn tower, his leg was crushed by an incoming ferry. Roebling died from the resulting gangrene. He was succeeded as project director by his son, Colonel Washington A. Roebling. In the summer of 1872, Washington became incapacitated by decompression illness, also known as the bends or caisson disease. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, oversaw the last ten years of the bridge's construction in what may be a unique instance of a woman in the bridge world. It became and remains a major New York City icon.

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most iconic symbols of New York. Try imagining the skyline without the looming Gothic towers. Now try to imagine no bridges over the East River to connect the separate cities of Brooklyn and Manhattan and having to rely on overcrowded, unreliable, and generally unsafe ferries. This was the reality of 1850s New York. Yet the Brooklyn Bridge almost didn’t happen. Amid rumors of curses on the designer’s family, corruption, and death came amazing technological innovations and people doing incredible things. The idea of putting a bridge across the East River wasn’t a new idea even in 1850. Plans were discussed, made, and scrapped regularly with strident opposition on basically every element, including the very big question of whether it was even possible to traverse the East River. And, if it was, then at 1,600 feet across, it’d be the longest span of bridge in the world at that time. To say that German immigrant John A. Roebling was born to meet this challenge would be a gross overstatement and cliche, but in this case it seems to work. He had created new forms of steel cables that aided his designs of technically brilliant bridges in Cincinnati and Niagara Falls. In 1867, his plans for the “East River and Brooklyn Bridge” (its previous official name) were accepted by the Tammany Hall-controlled New York Bridge Company and he was named Chief Engineer. But, on June 28, 1869, as John A. Roebling was measuring possible locations for the towers of the bridge near the Fulton Ferry, a boat hit his foot and crushed his toes. Within a month, he died of tetanus. His son and partner, 32 year-old Washington Roebling, overcame his grief and took over his father’s position as the Chief Engineer, determined to finish what they had started. This would not be the last tragedy or death that would befall the Roebling family, or the construction of the bridge. Under Washington Roebling’s supervision the construction began in earnest on January 2, 1870. The first step was building caissons, which are watertight structures with a series of airlocks to provide dry underwater space for workers to dig the foundation into solid rock. Roebling and his men worked in conditions described by Master Mechanic E.F. Farrington: ” The temperature in the caissons was about 80 \[degrees], and the workmen, with half-naked bodies, seen in dim, uncertain light brought vividly to life Dante’s ‘Inferno’.” But beyond bringing to life poetic masterpieces, there were far more real problems to contend with – fires and explosions plagued the caissons as did the deadly “caisson disease” now known as “the bends” or more technically, decompression sickness. During the construction of the bridge, over one hundred men contracted and were killed or severely debilitated by caisson disease, including Washington Roebling. S. A. (Silas A.) Holmes (1819 or 20-1886). New York Caisson nearly down. 1872. Museum of the City of New York. 57.15.4. In early 1872, after working 12 straight hours in the caisson, Roebling rose to the surface from the compressed air too quickly and according to some reports, promptly passed out. This began his lifelong battle with the disease that would cause him pain, partial paralysis, temporary loss of his voice and sight, and all sorts of other terrible symptoms that led him to be an invalid for rest of the construction of the bridge and most of his life, forcing him to become bedridden, threatening his position as Chief Engineer. However, all was not lost. Using a telescope from the bedroom window of his house on 106 Columbia Street in Brooklyn, Washington would give notes and directions to his wife Emily to take to the engineers on the bridge. Emily had taught herself the math and science to help her husband throughout the project, and now she was using her knowledge to oversee construction while also speaking to distributors, politicians, and all levels of workers, making so many important decisions that it was not long before some begin to think of her as the de facto Chief Engineer, going so far as to believe she was the true intelligence behind the bridge’s design and completion. Indeed, even the New York Times gave her credit right after the bridge opened (and keep in mind, this was at the height of the Gilded Age, when it was still debated if women could even actually learn). But another 11 years passed as the bridge inched slowly toward completion. There was fraud with sub par material, political and public outcry about the bridge being constantly delayed, and constant newspaper columns complaining about it going over budget. (For an 1878 article titled “Are We Wasting Money?” that suggests that destroying the towers of the bridge would really be, in fact, the best way to proceed, click here.). Adding to the drama was a last minute move by Mayor Seth Low to dismiss Washington Roebling from his position as Chief Engineer, due to his inability to personally oversee the...

My Archive Spring 2019 "One day in 2002 I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with my two little kids. We stopped to take photos on the bridge. I had just started to shoot film again with my old camera and had loaded up a black and white roll. The bridge was pretty empty, as it was not too long after 9/11, and the bridge was less crowded in general back then. I bent down to be more eye level with my son who wanted to try the camera." —Meredith Marciano

With so many of us staying indoors these days, it is helpful to remember the glories of New York City’s public landscape, past and present. Here are a few examples to remind you of treasured sites we look forward to visiting again, appreciating in person, and sharing with others!

In August 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving some women—but not all—the right to vote at the national level. Celebrate the centennial of suffrage with a tour of New York locations that were important in the history of women’s rights.

Brooklyn Bridge, 1932. Nearly 50 years after the bridge opened the skyline of Manhattan is drastically different.

My Archive Summer 2019 “I’m the only one in the photo and it was taken on May 1999, a few days before college graduation. Seton hall University ran a dinner cruise for seniors and my friends and I went. It was such an amazing night and time in my young life and I couldn’t pass up taking a photo of the bridge with the towers in the background. I loved my time at seton hall and being a born and raised Brooklynite, I thought this was the perfect photo. Still is!” —Christine Bove

Between 1954 and 1957, the Municipal Art Society surveyed historic buildings in all five boroughs to create a database of potential landmarks to preserve. Local residents and MAS staff compiled individual sheets devoted to about 200 buildings. Each sheet outlined the building’s date, location, and style and provided a description and a small photograph. This is the list of Manhattan buildings.

2019 has been as busy as ever at Urban Archive as we've added more locations, collections, and posts to the platform. Here are some interesting facts, stories, and images from throughout the five boroughs that we dug up along the way.

Brooklyn Bridge ca. 1897 On May 24, 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic, and though now we know it as a beautiful landmark, New Yorkers of the time were a bit more wary. At the time it was the only bridge spanning the East River, connecting the separate cities of Brooklyn and New York, and many doubted that a bridge that large could hold. This fear is what may have prompted a stampede a week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, on May 30. The New York Times wrote that a woman tripped and fell on the steps up to the bridge, prompting another woman to scream and crowds to push forward. Then, panic: “Those following were in turn pushed over and in a moment the narrow stairway was choked with human beings, piled one on top of the other, who were being crushed to death. In a few minutes, 12 persons were killed, 7 injured so seriously that their lives are despaired of, and 28 others more or less severely wounded.” Earlier that year, showman and circus founder P.T. Barnum had suggested marching his elephants, led by his most famous one, Jumbo, across the bridge in celebration of its opening. He was turned down, but with the public trust of the structure still wavering, a display of the Brooklyn Bridge’s strength seemed to be a good idea. On May 17, 1884, Barnum marched 21 elephants across the bridge, along with 17 camels. The animals made it across just fine, proving that the bridge was steady. At the time it opened, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, and it lives on today as one of New York’s finest landmarks.

Brooklyn Bridge, pre-1894. On May 24, 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge officially opened to traffic. The massive celebration brought more than 50,000 people to the bridge (according to contemporary accounts). Some of the distinguished guests included President Chester A. Arthur, New York Governor Grover Cleveland, and Emily Roebling, the wife of the bridge’s main engineer, Washington Roebling. Cannon fire, live bands, and a fireworks display marked the festive occasion. The New York Times wrote: "The opening of the bridge was decidedly Brooklyn’s celebration. New York’s participation in it was meager, save as to the crowd which thronged her streets.” Completed after 13 years of construction, $15 million, and the death of one engineer and the debilitation of another, the Brooklyn Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world (until 1903 when 4.5 more feet gave the Williamsburg Bridge the title).

You submitted, and we rounded up our faves! Here are some spectacular shots of moms in NYC throughout the years. Happy Mother's Day!