First Draft

CCNY
Rejaur Khan 

Writing for Engineering 

2/5/24

New Yorkers and The Brooklyn Bridge. 

When talking about New York City, there are many things people would often associate with the iconic city. Some say it’s the twin towers. Others say it would be times square, or hudson yards or yankee stadium. But the most iconic landmark would be and should be the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Bridge is the one of the reasons NYC has transformed into a global hub of attraction and tourism. The bridge was able to increase the population of Brooklyn from 580,000 to 1 million in 15 years since it opened. The bridge also made it easier for people to travel to their jobs in Manhattan and made housing easier. It is also stated that 137,500 vehicles cross the bridge and in addition, over a million people walk or ride across the bridge too. In addition to that, the bridge has allowed safe transportation of goods and commerce between the two boroughs. 

Brooklyn Bridge is famous for tourist destinations as there many locations around the bridge many people outside of New York come for. It has even been part of many movies and TV films. Many location include Pebble Beach, Brooklyn Park, Time zout Market etc.

Final Draft

CCNY
Rejaur Khan

Writing for Engineering

2/5/24

New Yorkers and The Brooklyn Bridge.

When talking about New York City, there are many things people would often associate with the iconic city. Some say it’s the Twin Towers and others would say it would be Times Square, Hudson Yards or Yankee Stadium. But the most iconic landmark would and should be the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn bridge is an important landmark as it has improved and impacted New Yorkers by connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn physically, socially and economically, attracting tourists from all over the world and contributing to the history of architecture and unique structure.

The bridge was a way for Manhattan, which was called New York at the time and Brooklyn to connect. These were two different cities with their own mayors. Brooklyn would then become part of New York City in “1898, following a referendum that passed there by just 277 votes” (Greenspan, 2013). .  The bridge was able to increase the population of Brooklyn from 580,000 to 1 million in 15 years since it opened. The bridge also made it easier for people to travel to their jobs in Manhattan and made housing easier. It is also stated that 137,500 vehicles cross the bridge and in addition, over a million people walk or ride across the bridge too. In addition to that, the bridge has allowed safe transportation of goods and commerce between the two boroughs.

Figure 1: Workers doing construction on the Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge is the one of the reasons NYC has transformed into a global hub of attraction and tourism. Brooklyn Bridge is famous for tourist destinations as there many locations around the bridge many people outside of New York come for. “The Brooklyn Bridge has been a favorite film location for countless movies”(Schoenberg, 2018). Some of these places include Brooklyn Museum,  Brooklyn Botanic Garden, One world observatory, The Pierre and many more. “Splash, Hudson Hawk and On the Town are just a few of the movies that have shown off the bridge on film” (Rosenburg, 2019).

Figure 2: Pebble Beach, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge photo spot

Brooklyn Bridge has created many achievements and accomplishments in the history of architecture. The bridge was the longest suspension during the time it was built in the 19th century until 1903. It was the first to use “steel for its cable wires” (PBS online, 2001). It also introduced the use of explosives in underwater devices called caissons. The bridge is also known as the 8th wonder of the world. Many people have died working on the bridge including the main engineer, John Roebling. His son Washington then continued the work until he developed the illness and was in bed supervising the work with Washington’s wife Emily . It was her who supervised the remainder of the work as the chief engineer and later took the first steps of the bridge upon its completion.

Figure 3: John Roebling, the man who designed the Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge has shaped not just New York City but also the world. Due to its structure it has become a symbol of engineering. In addition, as a world wonder, many tourists flock to New York City to visit the great bridge. People of both Manhattan and Brooklyn were connected because of the piece of structure. Without the Brooklyn Bridge, the world may be different than the one that we know today.

References Page

Mishra, A. (2023, July 5). Your comprehensive guide to brooklyn bridge in New York City. TravelTriangle. https://traveltriangle.com/blog/brooklyn-bridge/

Greenspan, J. (2013, May 23). 10 things you may not know about the Brooklyn Bridge. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-brooklyn-bridge

Rosenburg, A. (2015, October 21). NYC’s Bucket List Walk. New York City Tourism + Conventions. https://www.nyctourism.com/articles/guide-to-the-brooklyn-bridge/

Schoenberg, P. E. (2018). The Brooklyn Bridge as a cinematic star. NYC Walks. https://nycwalks.com/blog/the-brooklyn-bridge-as-a-cinematic-star/#:~:text=Some%20other%20movies%20that%20have,Sophie’s%20Choice%20starring%20Meryl%20Streep.

Online, P. (2001). Building big: Databank: Brooklyn bridge. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/brooklyn.html#:~:text=It%20was%20the%20first%20suspension,suspension%20bridge%20in%20the%20world.