5. The Brooklyn entrance once had female statues representing Manhattan and Brooklyn

Manhattan Bridge is known for its baroque “Court of Honor” arch and colonnade entrance on the Manhattan side, designed by New York’s Carrère and Hastings firm. The Brooklyn entrance also once had a more elegant entrance that no longer exists. When the bridge first opened, architect Daniel Chester French had sculpted two females that were supposed to embody both Brooklyn and Manhattan, standing on either side of the bridge. The statues were taken down in the 1960s to improve visitor movement, but you can now find them in front of the Brooklyn Art Museum.