Although many had dreamed of bridging the strait separating San Francisco from Marin County, this treacherous mile of water was considered unbridgeable until the 1930s. It took the vision of Joseph Strauss, The Golden Gate Bridge’s Chief Engineer,to figure out how to bridge the Golden Gateway. Nearly 75 years later, the Bridge remains beloved by Bay Area residents, is visited annually by millions of people from around the world, and is America’s most photographed structure.
Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began on January 5, 1933. More than four years later, the Bridge opened ceremoniously with a one week long celebration called the “Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta.” On May 27, 1937, “Pedestrian Day,” 200,000 people walked or roller skated across the Bridge. Mayor Angelo Rossi and other officials rode the ferry to Marin, then crossed the Bridge in a motorcade past three ceremonial “barriers”, the last a blockade of beauty queens. Strauss presented the Bridge to the Highway District. Strauss wrote a poem entitled “The Mighty Task is Done.” “There’s a Silver Moon on the Golden Gate”, was the official song chosen to commemorate the event. The Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta Parade proceeded north on Van Ness Ave. to Francisco Street, west to Franklin Street, north to Bay Street, west to Buchanan Street, north to Marina Boulevard and then west to Crissy Field, at the Presidio. At noon on May 28, 1937, vehicle traffic started over the Bridge.
In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Bridge, there will be a two-day festival, on Memorial Day weekend, 2012. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy), in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Presidio Trust, are working collaboratively on a celebration which will recall the historic “Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta” at Crissy Field when the Bridge opened. Civic and cultural organizations will hold their own commemorative events throughout the year as part of a “75 Tributes” initiative.
The Parks Conservancy is making improvements to the southeast plaza of the Bridge by opening up gathering spaces, adding signage, reconfiguring parking, restoring vistas, upgrading the Bridge Café, and constructing a pavilion for exhibits and gifts. Other projects and programs include new overlooks and trails to the Bridge, a converted Round House for use as an event space, and guided Bridge walks.
To Learn More:
Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary www.goldengatebridge74.org
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) www.goldengate.org
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Conservancy) www.parksconservancy.org
National Park Service (NPS) www.nps.gov/goga
Presidio Trust www.presidio.gov
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