Building the Manhattan Bridge

[Manhattan Bridge Under Construction], circa 1905, v1988.41.6; Brooklyn sewers construction photograph collection, ARC.209; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Of the three bridges connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge certainly gets the most attention. The Brooklyn Bridge is iconic. It is the first bridge that springs to mind when you think of Brooklyn, and it is the bridge that you always stroll across with your friends when they visit the city.

Brooklyn Historical Society has a number of collections related to the Brooklyn Bridge, including but not limited to the Brooklyn Bridge construction records (v1977.259), the Brooklyn Bridge photographs (v1986.249), and the DUMBO, Brooklyn waterfront photographs and slides (v1989.018). However, there are other bridges connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan, and the soft tonal qualities of the image above give the Manhattan Bridge a dreamy, picturesque quality that begs for attention. Designed by Leon Moisseiff, the Manhattan Bridge was built between 1901 and 1909 – the last of the three bridges built across the East River to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan (if interested in more, you can read all the details on the NYC.gov website). This is one of the few images held by the Brooklyn Historical Society of the Manhattan Bridge while still under construction.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our new website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Fri, 1:00-5:00 p.m.