2. It Took Over 30 Years to Bring the Henry Hudson Bridge to Life

Although the Henry Hudson Bridge was built in the 1930s, the idea for the span was actually proposed as early as 1904. According to bridgesnyc.com, it was to be called the “Hendrik Hudson Memorial Bridge,” and was originally scheduled to be completed by 1909, in time to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage. Designs were submitted, and postcards as well as paintings were created in anticipation for the bridge’s arrival. At the time, however, Spuyten Duyvil residents and other civic groups vehemently fought against its construction as they feared it would bring traffic to the nearby Bronx communities and destroy the “virgin forest” of Inwood Hill Park.

The anniversary eventually passed and years flew by. It wasn’t until the 1930s, when Robert Moses proposed the idea for the Henry Hudson Parkway alongside the bridge, that the idea actually came to fruition.