The Brooklyn Bridge at Night: Emily Roebling Birthday Walk

The Brooklyn Bridge at Night: Emily Roebling Birthday Walk

Photos by Untapped New York

Watch the lights come on at the Brooklyn Bridge as night falls and celebrate the birthday of bridge engineer Emily Roebling on a tour led by Justin Rivers!

  • Learn about the tragic misfortunes of John Roebling and his son Washington, the designer and Chief Engineers of the bridge
  • Discover how Emily Roebling became an unlikely surrogate Chief Engineer and led the final phases of construction
  • Hear about the joyous festivities of opening day on the bridge
  • Visit sites where the Roeblings are remembered today, including a plaza named for Emily
  • Walk halfway across the bridge to take in views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines
  • Enjoy the sunset and admire the new lighting system which dramatically illuminates the bridge against the night sky

About the event:

When death and illness befell her father-in-law and husband, Emily Roebling stepped in to finish their life’s work, building the Brooklyn Bridge. While her contributions may have been largely overlooked throughout history, Emily has made her way into pop culture in recent years as the subject of a beloved children’s book, Secret Engineer, and as a character on HBO’s hit series, The Gilded Age. This September, we celebrate Emily’s 181st birthday with a nighttime walk on the the iconic East River span. This customized version of our signature Secrets of the Brooklyn Bridge Tour will take us halfway across the bridge, starting on the Brooklyn side. We’ll discover tributes to Emily along the river’s edge and take in stunning skyline views. As darkness falls, we’ll get to see the new lighting system installed in January. 

Photo Credits

Emily Roebling Portrait Courtesy of Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn Bridge Night Photo Courtesy of NYC DOT

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