How is the story of the Brooklyn Bridge the story of the Industrial Revolution during the Gilded Age?
What is the Industrial Revolution? Historians note that the period from the Civil War’s end until roughly 1920 was marked by a movement toward production of goods by machine rather than by hand, usually in large, intricately-organized factoriesOther characteristics of the era include accelerated technological innovation; growth of a nationwide transportation network based on the railroad; the establishment of a communications network based on the telegraph and telephone; and the steady increase in the size and predominance of citiesImages reflecting this progression appeared often on the bookbindings of the dayBuilding Skyward The late 19th century also saw a building boom, as banks, hotels, department stores, and office buildings went up at a record paceNew building technology allowed for the first skyscrapers to be built the in the 1880s-and crowded urban areas saw housing and industry move skywardThe new architectural material, and the invention of the electric elevator, allowed for buildings to grow tallerThe skyscraper had become a symbol of the modern and technological character of the urban landscapeBridges to Progress Another architectural wonder of the late 19th century was the suspension bridge, which pulled new territory into the urban areaA German immigrant developed new construction techniques that made bridges stronger and allowed them to span longer distancesAmong the bridges he designed was the Brooklyn Bridge, which was intended to link rural Brooklyn with urban Manhattan by allowing for easy travel across the East RiverAt 1,595 feet, the Brooklyn Bridge was the world's longest suspension bridge when it was completed in 1883, and it sparked an 80-year period of large-scale bridge buildingThe suspension bridge became typical of the American cityscape, and a symbol for the expansive spirit of the industrial era.
