Senate Resolution No. 194

BY: Senator PARKER

COMMEMORATING the 134th Anniversary of the
Brooklyn Bridge

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to support the
preservation and commemoration of historical landmarks which express and
preserve the social and cultural origins of this great State of New
York; and

WHEREAS, Uniting the maze of 19th century brick and frame
residences, factories and warehouses of the Brooklyn shore to the modern
skyscraper district of lower Manhattan, the majestic highway known as
the Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic on May 24, 1883; 134 years later,
the Brooklyn Bridge continues to retain its place as the most
picturesque of the 61 spans that bind New York into a world metropolis
and a timeless inspiration for artists, writers and photographers; and

WHEREAS, It is with great pride that this Legislative Body
commemorates the 134th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge; the graceful
sweep of its span is supported by a delicate web of steel cables fixed
on soaring Gothic stone arches; in this structure, as in no other, one
sees a growing America's reach towards the future and its exploration of
expansionism through invention, transcending its European roots to
become an American icon of national inspiration; and

WHEREAS, David Bernard Steinman would tell his fellow newsboys,
"someday I am going to build bridges like that famous structure towering
above us"; although his friends may have laughed then, that young man
went on to become the nation's preeminent bridge designer/engineer and
leading expert on the aerodynamics of suspension bridges, designing 400
bridges around the world, including the Brooklyn Bridge; and

WHEREAS, Its builders, John, Emily and Washington Roebling were
heroic figures; having been so moved by the personal tragedy, history
and engineering innovations and consumed by the building of the Brooklyn
Bridge, in 1945 David B. Steinman published The Builders of the Bridge:
The Story of John Roebling and His Son; and

WHEREAS, To artists and architects alike, the design of the Brooklyn
Bridge evokes a balanced display of conflicting forces, simple yet
complex, elegant yet bold, substantial yet buoyant; in fact, at the
opening ceremony, the Bridge was described as: "this alluring roadway,
resting on towers which rise like those of ancient cathedrals, lacework
of threads interweaving their separate delicate strengths into the
complex solidity of the whole"; and

WHEREAS, In 1945, David Steinman's childhood dream became reality
when he was hired by the City of New York to oversee the rehabilitation
of the Brooklyn Bridge; the comprehensive reconstruction project took
place between 1944 and 1954 and entailed strengthening the inner and
outer trusses, installing new horizontal stays between the four main
cables, removing the railroad and trolley tracks, widening the roadways
from two to three lanes in each direction and constructing new approach
ramps; and


WHEREAS, Today, the Brooklyn Bridge accommodates six lanes of
automobile traffic carrying approximately 145,000 vehicles per day with
a separate walkway along the centerline for pedestrians and bicycles;
and

WHEREAS, The Brooklyn Bridge received its designation as a National
Historic Landmark in 1964 and on its 100th Anniversary, the American
Society of Civil Engineers designated the Bridge a National Historic
Civil Engineering Landmark; and

WHEREAS, The construction of a building, in its historical
perspective, symbolizes the will, the circumstances and the resolve of a
people and a community; and

WHEREAS, In recognition of the Brooklyn Bridge's rich history and
enduring contribution to the heritage of the State of New York, it is
the intent of this Legislative Body to join in the celebration of its
134th Anniversary so that present and future generations may come to
appreciate the unique significance which its history plays in the
progression of our State and Nation's evolution; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 134th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as
recognize its significant history, its innovative engineering
achievements and its dynamic symbolism of America's westward march; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Eric Adams, President of the Borough of
Brooklyn.