In New York's golden age of bridges, artist Antonio Masi teams up with writer and
New York City historian Joan Marans Dim to offer a multidimensional exploration of
New York City's nine major bridges, their artistic and cultural underpinnings, and
their impact worldwide.The tale of New York City's bridges begins in 1883, when the
Brooklyn Bridge rose majestically over the East River, signaling the start of
America's "Golden Age" of bridge building. The Williamsburg followed in 1903, the
Queensboro (renamed the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge) and the Manhattan in 1909, the
George Washington in 1931, the Triborough (renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) in
1936, the Bronx-Whitestone in 1939, the Throgs Neck in 1961, and the
Verrazano-Narrows in 1964.Each of these classic bridges has its own story, and the
book's paintings show the majesty and artistry, while the essays fill in the
fascinating details of its social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental
history.America's great bridges, built almost entirely by immigrant engineers,
architects, and laborers, have come to symbolize not only labor and ingenuity but
also bravery and sacrifice. The building of each bridge took a human toll. The
Brooklyn Bridge's designer and chief engineer, John A. Roebling, himself died in the
service of bridgebuilding. But beyond those stories is another narrative--one that
encompasses the dreams and ambitions of a city, and eventually a nation.At this
moment in Asia and Europe many modern large-scale, long-span suspension bridges are
being built. They are the progeny of New York City's Golden Age bridges. This book
comes along at the perfect moment to place these great public projects into their
historical and artistic contexts, to inform and delight artists, engineers,
historians, architects, and city planners. No other book has focused specifically on
these iconic spans or explained their historical importance.New York's Golden Age of
Bridges will encourage the understanding and appreciation of the art and history of
bridges, explore the inestimable connections that bridges foster, and reveal the
extraordinary impact of the nine Golden Age bridges on the city, the nation, and the
world.