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The bridge so pretty we gave it a Yahoo! category was originally designed and built by engineer Joseph B. Strauss. The $27 million project was completed in 1937. In compensation, Mr. Strauss received $1 million and a lifetime bridge pass. Upon the completion of his masterpiece, the chief engineer penned these lines: At last the mighty task is done;
Resplendent in the western sun;
The Bridge looms mountain high;
Its titan piers grip ocean floor;
Its great
steel arms link shore with shore,
Its towers pierce the sky. While Mr. Strauss built it, a large share of credit for the bridge's design goes to the consulting architects Irving F. Morrow and his wife Gertrude C. Morrow. They added art deco elements and simplified structural components of what was initially considered a rather overbearing design. They also chose its trademark color. Why the "Golden Gate"? The entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean is known as the Golden Gate Strait. A topographical engineer named it in 1846. It reminded him of a harbor in Istanbul named Chrysoceras, or Golden Horn. During its
construction, a safety net skirting the bridge saved the lives of 19 men, who later became known as the "HalfWay to Hell Club." You can view some amazing construction photographs at the official site.
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