Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins.

Today this happened in the past

January 5, 1933—Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins.

The famous link between San Francisco and Marin County California was first proposed as early as 1872; but it took the vision of engineer Joseph B. Strauss, who built many other bridges, before real enthusiasm for a bridge of this magnitude to span a harbor entrance gained traction. His proposal in 1921 is what we see today as the bridge adds to the beauty and iconic popularity of the bay.

Before the bridge — Fort Point in the foreground, looking across the Golden gate (the strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean), toward Marin County to the north, in 1910. (National Park Service)

Joseph Strauss, Chief Engineer behind the Golden Gate Bridge.

Never before had a bridge been built at a harbor's entrance where ships need to pass underneath, the height alone was a magnificent feat, the deck of the bridge needed to be at approximately 250 feet from the water, and then there is that matter of tidal changes.

The challenges of building a bridge one mile across the bay were seen as insurmountable by critics. Take the water away and you will see an image of two mountain ranges with a deep gorge between them. That gap is over a mile wide at 6,700 feet. The water is 335 feet deep at the center.

Constant winds batter the strait and strong currents plague the water as the ocean enters the harbor, rebelling at being confined to a small area compared to the vast Pacific. And then gnawing in the not too distant memory of San Franciscans was the 1906 earthquake. The bridge would be built on an active seismic location, just as much of California is today. Building the bridge workers would also battle a difficult environment of fog, rain, and the wind. That is difficult enough under normal circumstances, now consider they would be working, in some cases, over 700 feet above the man-eating waters.  

So on this date, January 5, 1933, work began on the anchorages and piers, the foundations that would support the two massive 1,320-foot towers on each end of the bay.

San Francisco Pier, August 1934

Pier and fender wall used during construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, between 1933 and 1937

Marin pier, September 1933

Construction underway on a pylon on the south shore of the Golden Gate Bridge project, ca 1933. (Library of Congress)

Construction of south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, 1935

Aerial view of the Golden Gate Bridge under construction, San Francisco, between 1933 and 1937

The Golden Gate Bridge on opening day, 1937

San Francisco's Joseph Strauss Memorial, in March 2010.