0 00:00:08,507 --> 00:00:09,996 - One important part of the design 1 00:00:09,996 --> 00:00:12,923 of the Brooklyn Bridge is the elevated walkway. 2 00:00:12,923 --> 00:00:15,998 So, if you look at the cross-section of the bridge, 3 00:00:15,998 --> 00:00:18,784 on the sides it was designed for carriages, 4 00:00:18,784 --> 00:00:23,367 today it's vehicles, then we have steam-driven rapid transit 5 00:00:23,367 --> 00:00:26,528 and at the very center, and elevated above all that, 6 00:00:26,528 --> 00:00:29,110 is a walkway for pedestrians to use. 7 00:00:29,110 --> 00:00:33,482 So, we see this essentially as a park in a bridge. 8 00:00:33,482 --> 00:00:36,101 This pedestrian walkway is an important part 9 00:00:36,101 --> 00:00:39,059 of the bridge today, as it was back then, 10 00:00:39,059 --> 00:00:41,803 and it's because of this elevated walkway that artists 11 00:00:41,803 --> 00:00:45,767 were able to become inspired in many ways, as we'll see. 12 00:00:45,767 --> 00:00:48,803 If we compare two images side-by-side, one taken of people 13 00:00:48,803 --> 00:00:51,582 on the walkway immediately after the bridge opened, 14 00:00:51,582 --> 00:00:54,082 and the other taken not too long ago, 15 00:00:54,082 --> 00:00:55,803 we see that there are differences. 16 00:00:55,803 --> 00:00:58,834 They dress very different, the people before and now, 17 00:00:58,834 --> 00:01:01,287 we see the Manhattan skyline is different, 18 00:01:01,287 --> 00:01:05,097 but we see similarities, both people, back in the 1880s 19 00:01:05,097 --> 00:01:08,516 and today are enjoying that pedestrian walkway, 20 00:01:08,516 --> 00:01:11,299 and the other thing that's similar is the bridge, 21 00:01:11,299 --> 00:01:15,257 the bridge hasn't changed, the bridge remains the same. 22 00:01:15,257 --> 00:01:18,319 Some people see the Brooklyn Bridge as just another bridge, 23 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:20,487 but it's not just another bridge, for the people 24 00:01:20,487 --> 00:01:23,763 of the 1880s, or 1870s, watching this bridge 25 00:01:23,763 --> 00:01:26,180 being constructed, many of them didn't believe 26 00:01:26,180 --> 00:01:28,455 it could actually be done, even through the whole 27 00:01:28,455 --> 00:01:31,242 construction process that took 14 years. 28 00:01:31,242 --> 00:01:33,532 So, this bridge isn't just another bridge, 29 00:01:33,532 --> 00:01:36,796 this bridge is actually a miracle for many of those people 30 00:01:36,796 --> 00:01:39,579 who saw that construction and were in the process 31 00:01:39,579 --> 00:01:41,708 of seeing it being built. 32 00:01:41,708 --> 00:01:43,839 The elevated walkway gives you an opportunity 33 00:01:43,839 --> 00:01:45,965 to touch the parts of this bridge, 34 00:01:45,965 --> 00:01:49,615 so you can touch that suspender and put your hand around it 35 00:01:49,615 --> 00:01:53,211 and feel that strength, the tension in that suspender. 36 00:01:53,211 --> 00:01:56,127 You can get close-up and look at all the connection details, 37 00:01:56,127 --> 00:01:57,799 those details of a connection, 38 00:01:57,799 --> 00:02:00,376 how do you connect a cable to this suspender, for example, 39 00:02:00,376 --> 00:02:04,996 are very important parts of the design of a bridge. 40 00:02:04,996 --> 00:02:08,068 And as you're walking towards the Brooklyn Tower, 41 00:02:08,068 --> 00:02:10,318 you'll see a plaque on that tower, 42 00:02:10,318 --> 00:02:12,898 and that plaque gives recognition to John Roebling 43 00:02:12,898 --> 00:02:16,748 and Washington Roebling as engineers of this bridge. 44 00:02:16,748 --> 00:02:18,772 Now, knowing the story of the Brooklyn Bridge 45 00:02:18,772 --> 00:02:21,268 and knowing the role Emily played, when I saw that plaque, 46 00:02:21,268 --> 00:02:23,308 I have to say, I was just a little bit offended 47 00:02:23,308 --> 00:02:26,529 that Emily wasn't mentioned, but I felt better when I walked 48 00:02:26,529 --> 00:02:29,899 around the corner of that tower and I indeed did see 49 00:02:29,899 --> 00:02:33,703 a plaque that recognized Emily's contributions. 50 00:02:33,703 --> 00:02:36,695 So, that plaque says that it was dedicated to the memory 51 00:02:36,695 --> 00:02:39,920 of Emily Warren Roebling, whose faith and courage 52 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:43,359 helped her stricken husband, Colonel Washington Roebling, 53 00:02:43,359 --> 00:02:45,455 complete the construction of this bridge 54 00:02:45,455 --> 00:02:47,950 from the plans of his father, John Roebling, 55 00:02:47,950 --> 00:02:50,855 who gave his life to the bridge. 56 00:02:50,855 --> 00:02:53,256 And the plaque ends with these words, 57 00:02:53,256 --> 00:02:55,436 "Back of every great work we can find 58 00:02:55,436 --> 00:02:59,241 the self-sacrificing devotion of a woman." 59 00:02:59,241 --> 00:03:02,208 So, as I mentioned, this elevated walkway is essentially 60 00:03:02,208 --> 00:03:05,526 a park inside of a bridge, some photographs you'll see 61 00:03:05,526 --> 00:03:08,474 people enjoying their lunch and taking their lunch break 62 00:03:08,474 --> 00:03:10,928 while sitting on this bridge. 63 00:03:10,928 --> 00:03:14,373 And while the towers were the largest structures to be seen 64 00:03:14,373 --> 00:03:17,242 when completed, today this photograph taken 65 00:03:17,242 --> 00:03:19,579 from World Trade Center Four shows 66 00:03:19,579 --> 00:03:21,903 the relative scale of the size of these towers 67 00:03:21,903 --> 00:03:24,125 compared to the Manhattan skyline. 68 00:03:24,125 --> 00:03:27,815 So, now the towers are dwarfed by the tall construction 69 00:03:27,815 --> 00:03:30,273 of downtown Manhattan, but the significance 70 00:03:30,273 --> 00:03:33,139 of the bridge does not disappear. 71 00:03:33,139 --> 00:03:35,594 These views stimulate artists, whether it's from 72 00:03:35,594 --> 00:03:38,418 the elevated walkway or from the waterline, 73 00:03:38,418 --> 00:03:40,342 and we're gonna take a look at some 74 00:03:40,342 --> 00:03:42,105 of those artists that were stimulated 75 00:03:42,105 --> 00:03:46,204 by these views of the Brooklyn Bridge.