Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge across the East River with view of Manhattan skyline in the background. Photograph 1915. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

The Brooklyn Bridge, a suspension bridge with stone towers over East River, was designed by German-born engineer John Augustus Roebling (1806-1869) and opened to traffic in 1883. It connects Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights. Because of the elevation of the span above the East River and the relatively low-lying shores, the rest of the bridge, sloping down to ground level, extends quite far inland on both sides. A comprehensive reconstruction took place between 1944 and 1954. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.