Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most celebrated feats of engineering in the world and the defining symbol of San Francisco. Its International Orange towers, soaring above the fog and the strait that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific, held the record for the longest suspension-bridge main span for nearly three decades after it opened in 1937. A triumph of Depression-era ambition, it married bold engineering with Art Deco design to create what many consider the most beautiful bridge ever built.

For decades a bridge across the Golden Gate strait was dismissed as impossible, given the deep, cold water, strong tides, and frequent fog. Engineer Joseph Strauss championed the project and became its chief engineer, but the elegant final design owed much to engineer Charles Ellis, who worked out the complex mathematics, and to consulting architect Irving Morrow, who shaped its Art Deco towers and lighting.

Construction began in January 1933, at the depth of the Great Depression, and the bridge was built with remarkable safety for its era: a pioneering safety net strung beneath the deck saved the lives of 19 men, who called themselves the 'Halfway to Hell Club.' Eleven workers nonetheless died before the bridge was completed. It opened on May 27, 1937, first to some 200,000 pedestrians, with vehicles following the next day.

The bridge's main span stretches 4,200 feet between towers that rise 746 feet above the water — the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world at its opening, a main-span record it held until 1964. Its distinctive International Orange color was selected by Irving Morrow because it complemented the natural surroundings and stood out in fog. Today the bridge carries U.S. Route 101 and California Route 1 and is maintained by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.