 
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.
Commemorating the 134th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge

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