City - Brooklyn, NY - The construction of the Manhattan bridge 1909
by Mike Savad
Title
City - Brooklyn, NY - The construction of the Manhattan bridge 1909
Artist
Mike Savad
Medium
Photograph - Hand Colored Photo
Description
Hand colored photo from 1909, March 23rd
Original title: Marine terminal in foreground; bridge under construction in background.
Photographer: Irving Underhill
Location: 45 Main St, Brooklyn, NY
The Manhattan Bridge, the youngest of the trio of iconic East River suspension bridges, opened to traffic on December 31, 1909, and was initially known only as "Bridge No. 3" during its planning, a utilitarian name that drew the scorn of The New York Times, which called it "meaningless." Flanked by the Brooklyn Bridge (1883) to the south and the Williamsburg Bridge (1903) to the north, it was conceived to alleviate congestion on its older siblings and to better connect Lower Manhattan's Chinatown with Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. Designed by engineer Leon Moisseiff, the bridge became a pivotal experiment in deflection theory, a structural approach that ultimately proved flawed. Streetcar tracks were placed on the outer edges, causing the bridge to twist under uneven weight. This flaw necessitated decades of repair and reinforcement, with major reconstruction only wrapping up in 2007.
At the time of its opening, the bridge was a marvel of engineering, longer and taller than the Brooklyn Bridge at 6,855 feet long and 322 feet high. Subway tracks were laid from the outset, but were not operational until later; today, the B, D, N, and Q trains cross the bridge, offering sweeping views of the skyline. The upper deck, now reserved for vehicles, was not part of the original 1909 design. Instead, modifications came gradually: an eastern upper roadway was added in 1922, followed by a western roadway in 1931 after the retirement of streetcars in 1929. The grand triumphal arch and colonnade on the Manhattan side, facing Canal Street, weren't completed until 1915, five years after the bridge first opened to traffic. And though originally celebrated, the bridge became more known over time for its structural woes and for the staggering $830 million spent on repairs, far outpacing the original $31 million construction cost.
Adding to its historical gravitas, the Manhattan Bridge was once adorned with statues of two women, Miss Manhattan and Miss Brooklyn, crafted by Daniel Chester French, the same sculptor behind the Lincoln Memorial's seated Abraham Lincoln. These statues stood at the Manhattan entrance for fifty years before being moved to the Brooklyn Museum; today, replicas take their place. The bridge also helped usher in the decline of ferry travel: the once-bustling Catharine Ferry, which had run since 1795 between Brooklyn and Manhattan, ceased operation in 1912 after being rendered obsolete by this and the other East River crossings. Though often overshadowed by its more photogenic cousin to the south, the Manhattan Bridge remains an essential, and underappreciated, part of New York City's infrastructure, rich with quirks, controversy, and quiet resilience.
Uploaded
April 6th, 2025
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