The Brooklyn Bridge over the East River in New York was the first bridge connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn.
The bridge was designed by John Augustus Roebling (1806-1869), who emigrated from Germany in 1831. After his death in 1969 due to an accident, his son Washington Roebling (1837-1926) took over as chief engineer.
Construction of the bridge started in January 1870 and was officially opened in May 1883.
The Brooklyn Bridge was, at the time of completion, the largest suspension bridge in the world. It has two granite towers and four main steel cables, each with a length of 3578 feet (1090 meters), the main span over the river is 1595 feet (486 meters), and the height of the towers above high water is 276 feet (84 meters).