Brooklyn Bridge
Ideal: Ideal for walking, photography, skyline views, and a free New York experience.
When it opened in 1883 it was the first suspension bridge built with steel wire cables, and its 486-meter span was roughly twice as long as any bridge built before it. The cost was steep: designer John Roebling died of tetanus after an injury on site, and his son Washington, who took over, was bedridden after decompression sickness in underwater caissons. His wife Emily Roebling then studied engineering and effectively ran the site for eleven years. Twelve people died in a pedestrian stampede six days after opening; to reassure the public, P. T. Barnum marched twenty-one elephants across in 1884.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 24 May 1883
- Architect
- John Augustus Roebling
- Architectural style
- Gothic Revival
- Height
- 84 m
- Length
- 5,989 ft
- Heritage status
- New York City Landmark
Facts from Wikidata, photos from Wikimedia Commons.
Why go?
- To see Manhattan and Brooklyn in the same frame
- To walk one of New York's most iconic routes
- For classic bridge and skyline photo angles
Travel tip
Walking from Brooklyn toward Manhattan gives the better view; early mornings are less crowded.
