The majestic spectacle of the great bridges of New York City connecting a city has made them the inspiration for artists, poets, authors and musicians for centuries. They are a defining symbol of an expanding city uniting, but yet separated by its diversity and uniqueness.

The most famous of the bridges, and the one that is most recognizable world-wide is the Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883 to great fanfare, and changed New York City forever. Brooklyn before the bridge, was considered the first suburb of New York, relying on ferries to transport its citizenry to Manhattan. Walt Whitman, a Brooklyn resident and poet in his famous poem, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1855) describes the ferry trip across the East River. From the time the bridge was proposed (1860s), until it finally opened, the population of both Brooklyn and Manhattan had grown considerably and were thriving economically. The great engineering feat of completing the bridge inspired a romantic vision of a city.

Although the Brooklyn Bridge would be hard to surpass, other bridges have been built in New York City which are worthy of praise. The Washington Bridge opened in 1889, a few years after the Brooklyn Bridge. It spanned the Harlem River in New York City between Manhattan and the Bronx. As yet not a part of Greater New York until 1898, the Bronx at the time was part of Westchester County and was still sparsely populated with farms and estates dotting the landscape. By the early 20th century with the expansion of the subway into the Bronx, the population moved into the borough.

In our wonderful Durst collection we have an account of the Williamsburg Bridge opening ceremonies in 1903. The book is signed by the Alderman of the 56th District, Noah Tebbetts. This signature gives the book additional historical importance and connects it to a contemporary who actually witnessed the event.

The Williamsburg Bridge is a suspension Bridge which at the time of construction (1896-1903) was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It connected the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancy Street with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. At the time, the Lower East Side was a bustling area crowded with newly arrived immigrants and the new bridge provided an incentive for some immigrants to move to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Again a bridge fostered population movement to the outer boroughs.

There are other bridges that span the waters surrounding New York City and each has a story to tell. The Durst collection is an excellent window into some of these stories which await archive researchers.