America's great bridges, built almost entirely by immigrant engineers, architects, and laborers, have come to symbolize not only labor and ingenuity but also bravery and sacrifice. The building of each bridge took a human toll. The Brooklyn Bridge's designer and chief engineer, John A. Roebling, himself died in the service of bridge building. But beyond those stories is another narrative--one that encompasses the dreams and ambitions of a city, and eventually a nation.

At this moment in Asia and Europe many modern large-scale, long-span suspension bridges are being built. They are the progeny of New York City's Golden Age bridges. This book comes along at the perfect moment to place these great public projects into their historical and artistic contexts, to inform and delight artists, engineers, historians, architects, and city planners. No other book has focused specifically on these iconic spans or explained their historical importance.

New York's Golden Age of Bridges will encourage the understanding and appreciation of the art and history of bridges, explore the inestimable connections that bridges foster, and reveal the extraordinary impact of the nine Golden Age bridges on the city, the nation, and the world.