Golden Gate Bridge – Under Construction

Ninety years ago, construction teams were eleven months into work on building what is now one of the most famous and recognizable man-made structures in the world. The Golden Gate Bridge links San Francisco to Marin County and before the bridge was operational, a ferry service took people from one side to the other across the bay. The bridge gets its name from the ‘Golden Gate’ which is the name of the geographical strait that links San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.

On completion it was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world. Its orange hue is functional for two reasons, to fit in with the surrounding landscape and secondly to be noticeable to ships in the (also famous) thick fog, which often descends on the bay.

Before landmark structures we all know and love were constructed, it is intriguing to see what the area looked like before it filled that space. Enjoy these great images of the bridge under construction and appreciate how excited the local people must have been watching something so big and important take shape.

San Francisco, California: August, 1933. A man with a 1933 Packard on the trestle to the South Tower during the beginning of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: December, 1935. A construction worker stands at one end of the catwalks that span the Golden Gate between the two towers. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
Aerial View of the construction of the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin County, CA, 5/4/1934. Credit: GG Vintage Images/Universal Images Group
A public information billboard posted near the Golden Gate Bridge construction site detailing project specifications and progress schedule, San Francisco, CA, 4/5/1935. Credit: GG Vintage Images/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: October 16, 1936. The Golden Gate Bridge under construction, with the roadbed being suspended from the cables. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: circa 1936. Fishermen on Baker Beach enjoy the view of the Golden Gate Bridge under construction. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: 1937. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge with men on the catwalks working on the cables. Alcatraz Island can be seen in the background. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: 1934. The Golden Gate Bridge under construction with two workers on the saddle atop the Marin Tower, 746 feet above the water. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
Sausalito, California: circa 1935. The Marin anchorage of the cables for the Golden Gate Bridge that runs between San Francisco and Marin County. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: April, 1935. The Golden Gate Bridge under construction with the Pylon #1 and the North and South Towers rising above Fort Point. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: circa December, 1935. The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, with the catwalks attached to the cables in preparation of the building of the roadbed. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: 1937. View from Crissy Field of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge with the roadbed being installed. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: circa 1936. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge with a view of the catwalks being placed under the cables. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: 1935. View from over the Marina and the Presidio of the Golden Gate Bridge under construction with the Palace of Fine Arts in the lower center. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: April, 1935. The Golden Gate Bridge under construction with the Pylon #1 and the North and South towers rising above Fort Point. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
San Francisco, California: 1934. View over San Francisco of the downtown area and the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The Marin Tower is nearly completed. Credit: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group
Construction of Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA, Charles M. Hiller, July 16, 1934. Credit: Circa Images/GHI/Universal Images Group
Aerial Photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge being Constructed in San Francisco, California, 5.19.1936. Credit: HUM Images/Universal Images Group