It was loud. If you were standing on the banks of the East River on May 24, 1883, the first thing you would have noticed wasn't the majestic granite towers or the intricate web of steel cables. It was the noise. Cannons were booming from the Navy Yard and from ships anchored in the harbor. Church bells across Manhattan and Brooklyn—which were two entirely separate cities back then—were ringing so hard people thought they might crack.
The opening of Brooklyn Bridge wasn't just a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was a massive, chaotic, city-wide explosion of relief. For fourteen years, New Yorkers had watched this "Eighth Wonder of the World" slowly rise, stalling through decompression sickness (the "bends"), corruption scandals, and the death of its original designer. Honestly, most people were just shocked it was actually finished.
A bridge built on "The Bends" and tragedy
You can't talk about the opening without talking about the Roeblings. John Roebling, the genius who designed it, died from tetanus after his foot was crushed by a ferry before construction even really kicked off. His son, Washington Roebling, took over and promptly wrecked his body by spending too much time in the caissons—those massive underwater work chambers. By the time the bridge actually opened in 1883, Washington couldn't even attend the party. He watched the whole thing through a telescope from his window in Brooklyn Heights.
His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, was the real hero of the day. She’d basically become his surrogate engineer, learning higher mathematics and bridge construction to communicate his instructions to the workers. She was the first person to cross the bridge in a carriage, carrying a rooster as a symbol of victory. It’s kinda wild to think that the most important engineering feat of the 19th century was finished by a woman who wasn't allowed to vote.
The Day the Cities Merged
People started lining up before dawn. It was a Thursday, but nobody was working. Schools were closed. Businesses shut their doors. Everyone wanted to be there for the opening of Brooklyn Bridge.
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President Chester A. Arthur showed up. He walked across from the New York side with a huge entourage, meeting Brooklyn Mayor Seth Low in the middle. The atmosphere was electric but also incredibly tense. Imagine the pressure—this was the first time a bridge had ever used steel wire for its suspension. People were literally terrified it would just snap and drop them into the icy water below.
To give you an idea of the scale, the bridge cost $15 million. In 1883 money, that was an astronomical sum. People were skeptical. They called it "The Great East River Bridge" because the name "Brooklyn Bridge" hadn't even been formalized yet.
Why it almost ended in disaster
A week after the grand opening, the "honeymoon phase" ended abruptly. On Memorial Day, a woman tripped on the stairs of the bridge. Someone screamed. Suddenly, a rumor ripped through the crowd: the bridge was collapsing.
Panic. Total, blind panic.
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Thousands of people charged for the exits. In the crush, twelve people were trampled to death. It’s a grim part of the story that people often skip over, but it highlights just how much the public mistrusted this new technology. It took P.T. Barnum—yes, the circus guy—marching 21 elephants across the span a year later to finally convince New Yorkers that the bridge wasn't going to dump them into the river.
The engineering that changed everything
The bridge was built to be six times stronger than it needed to be. That’s why it’s still standing today while other bridges from that era have been torn down or replaced.
- The towers are made of limestone, granite, and Rosendale cement.
- The four main cables are each 15.75 inches thick.
- Each cable contains 5,296 galvanized steel oil-coated wires.
The diagonal stay cables give it that iconic "harp" look, but they also serve a functional purpose by stiffening the bridge against the wind. It was a masterpiece of over-engineering.
Visiting the legacy today
If you walk the bridge now, you’re walking on history. But don't just walk to the first tower and turn back. You've gotta go all the way across.
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The wooden planks under your feet are constantly being replaced, but the view of the Statue of Liberty (which was still being built in France when the bridge opened!) is timeless. You can still see the plaques dedicated to the Roeblings near the towers.
How to experience the Brooklyn Bridge like a local
Most tourists make the mistake of starting in Manhattan and walking toward Brooklyn. Don't do that. Take the A or C train to High Street in Brooklyn or the 2/3 to Clark Street. Walk toward Manhattan.
The view of the skyline opening up in front of you is infinitely better than looking over your shoulder at it.
- Go early. Like, 6:00 AM early. By 10:00 AM, the bridge is a nightmare of "influencers" and bike commuters who are very angry you're in their lane.
- Look down. Between the planks, you can see the cars rushing by below. It’s a weirdly visceral reminder of how high up you are.
- Check the anchors. On the Manhattan side, the bridge anchors into a massive block of masonry that used to house cold-storage wine cellars because the temperature was so stable.
The opening of Brooklyn Bridge changed New York from a collection of fragmented neighborhoods into a unified metropolis. It proved that steel was the future. It proved that the East River could be tamed. And most importantly, it gave the world an icon that survived long after the cannons stopped firing and the bells stopped ringing.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
- Visit the Brooklyn Historical Society (now the Center for Brooklyn History) to see original sketches and artifacts from the construction.
- Walk the bridge at night. The LED lighting installed for the recent anniversaries highlights the gothic arches in a way the sun just can't.
- Read "The Great Bridge" by David McCullough if you want the definitive, non-boring account of the political drama behind the scenes.
- Explore the "Wine Cellars" area on the Manhattan side—while you can't go inside, the street level architecture still shows where the vaults were integrated into the ramps.