May 28, 1937– One of my favorite structures on our pretty spinning blue orb is, of course, the openly gay Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is a technical masterpiece & a structure of exceptional design artistry. When it opened to the public, The Golden Gate was the world’s longest & tallest suspension bridge. But above all, this masterly example of engineering is a magnificent monument set against a awesome backdrop.
Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began in 1933. The bridge, which was designed by engineer Joseph Strauss (who also designed my city of Portland‘s Burnside Bridge) & Charles Alton Ellis, was built to connect San Francisco with Marin County across the mile wide, 3 mile long channel known as the Golden Gate Strait which connects San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean.
The building of the bridge was a colossal task. At the time most people did not believe it was technically possible to span the Golden Gate. But despite the disbelief, resistance & the Great Depression, Strauss & Ellis were able to find sufficient support & financial backing to go ahead with the project. It would take thousands of workers, 4 years & 35 million dollars to complete the structure. 21 men died in accidents during the construction.
When it was built the dimensions of the bridge defied all imagination. The total length of the bridge is 8,981feet. The main span between the 2 enormous towers is 4,200 feet long, making the Golden Gate Bridge the world’s largest suspension bridge, a record that would stand until 1964 when the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in NYC was completed.
The magnificent Art Deco towers are almost 740 feet tall. The 6 lanes of road are an amazing 220 above the water level. The bridge is supported by enormous cables, anchored in hundreds of bars locked into concrete blocks. The 2 cables are woven from 27,572 threads of steel with a total length that equals 3 times the earth’s circumference.
The Golden Gate Bridge has always been painted orange vermilion, named International Orange, chosen by a group of gay color consultants from the city. The distinctive color blends well with the span’s natural setting, a warm color consistent with the colors of the surrounding land & distinct from the cool colors of the sky & sea. It also provides enhanced visibility for passing ships & it is tasteful in a way orange can be when used well.
A revered & rugged group of 19 hot ironworkers, 38 cute painters, plus chief bridge painter battle wind, sea air, fog, & the Folsom Street Fair, suspended high above the Gate, to repair corroding steel & keep the bridge looking pretty.
On opening day, 78 years ago today, 200,000 pedestrians made their way across the newly finished span. On a lovely late summer day in September 1971, I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was quite a challenge. Not only is it a long trip, but it is a breathtaking, literally. It was not nearly as cruisy as I had hoped. In certain conditions the bridge will sway almost 30 feet. This makes the bridge less pleasant to negotiate during strong winds or an earthquake. The views, however, were amazing. A star in more than 50 films, The Golden Gate Bridge has a major role, playing itself, in my favorite Alfred Hitchcock flick, Vertigo (1958). This summer it can be seen as it is being destroyed by a bitch of an earthquake in the new movie San Andreas.
