The Brooklyn Bridge of New York and the Golden Gate Bridge of California are both huge architectural and engineering accomplishments of the United States. Both of the bridges are beautiful, complex and incredibly useful and impressive. Since the two bridges were built at different points in time, in different places, and by different people, the structural design of the two bridges are each unique in their own way.
The Brooklyn bridge was completed in 1883. It is a suspension/cable-stay bridge. It was 50% longer than any bridge of that type that had been built before. I think that says a lot about the time in which this bridge was created. People were wanting to stretch the bounds of what they knew to be as bridges, and they wanted it to be astonishing. A lot of pain, hardship and suffering was endured by those who wished to see the success of the construction. I think that may be a large part of the reason the bridge stands as a symbol of pride, hope and awe to the people who live around it and to those who travel to come see it. The style of the bridge is dark like the color scheme they chose for it. The cables are what amaze me the most. The photography that has been captured of the bridge seems to really show the complexity of all the cables and wires and how they cross and connect.
The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937. The structural design of the bridge is very similar to the Brooklyn Bridge. The big issue with the construction of this bridge was the natural weather patterns in the San Francisco area that could be hazardous to the design like super strong wind and fog. The bridge itself is much slimmer than the Brooklyn Bridge. This probably means that a bit more knowledge concerning bridge building was circling around at this time, and they knew how to make a bridge more efficient with less material. One of the designers suggested a thin roadway that would flex with the wind and allow the bridge to be more stable. The huge towers and bright orange color reveal that the people wanted it to be iconic, and it sure is. Photos that are taken of the Golden Gate are angled to showcase the bright color and the height and size of the bridge.
Great post first of all. Something you mentioned for the Brooklyn Bridge that a lot of people do not think about is how much suffering/hardship people had to endure in order to create such a mammoth sized bridge of its time. I like how you mentioned that because of that hardship, the bridge can stand for something the local inhabitants and those you travel to view such a masterpiece.