5. There is an NYC Plaza Named for Emily Roebling
During her lifetime, Emily’s achievements were always obscured by the shadow of her husband. In 1951, a plaque dedicated to the builders of the Brooklyn Bridge was installed on the bridge by the Brooklyn Engineers Club. It states that Emily’s “faith and courage helped her stricken husband Col. Washington A. Roebling complete the construction of this bridge,” and “back of every great work we can find the self-sacrificing devotion of a woman.”
Though it took over a century, Emily Roebling is now getting the recognition she deserved. There have been scholarships named in her honor, children’s books written about her, and a plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park bears her name, as does a street in Brooklyn. Construction on Emily Roebling Plaza broke ground in 2020. The plaza added two acres to the park and connected the Main Street and John Street park sections to the southern piers with pedestrian walkways. From Emily Roebling Plaza, visitors have a unique view of the bridge, from underneath the span!
