May 27, 2012 marks 75 years for the Golden Gate Bridge and a wonderful opportunity to recognize the history, beauty, and ingenuity of this famous span. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy—in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust—are launching a 75th anniversary program.
Bridging Us All: Celebrating 75 Years
Under the theme “Bridging Us All,” The Golden Gate Festival is the center point of the Bridge’s year-long 75th anniversary program. Harkening back to the spirit of the Golden Gate Fiesta when the Bridge opened on May 27, 1937, highlights of the 2012 celebration include an historic watercraft parade, multiple music and dance stages, art installations, history and educational presentations, display of cars from 1937 to the present, and Bridge-related activities on Crissy Field and the Marina Green. These activities will be complemented by Bridge-themed events and performances at waterfront venues including Fort Mason Center, Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Pier 39, among others. On Sunday evening, May 27th at approximately 9:30 pm, the weekend celebration will conclude with a spectacular 75th anniversary fireworks display and grand finale.
Sharing Your Bridge Stories: 75th Website Launched
www.goldengatebridge75.org is the online portal for all things 75th! From information about 75th anniversary programs and events to sharing your favorite stories about Bridge, the website is the place to follow along as the events and programs evolve over the coming months. The website will provide the platform to bring the 75th Anniversary to millions of households around the world.
Celebrating Our Bridge: Golden Gate Festival, May 26-27, 2012
More From This Section
A spectacular two-day festival is being planned for the 2012 Memorial Day weekend. Recalling the historic "Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta" in 1937, the event will tell the story of the Bridge and provide an opportunity for the entire community to celebrate together.
In addition to The Golden Gate Festival, the year-long 75th anniversary features:
• 75 Tributes to the Bridge, a series of public programs being presented throughout the year by Bay Area museums, cultural centers, universities, arts organizations, children’s groups, and others.
• Construction of a new 3,500-square-foot Bridge Pavilion to serve as a welcome and interpretive center and to provide a museum store featuring a wide range of commemorative and interpretive Bridge merchandise;
• Renovation of the historic Round House into a program staging and visitor education center;
• Upgrades to the Bridge Café, including a new menu with locally sourced and sustainable items;
• A “green screen” photo area where visitors can picture themselves in dramatic and publically inaccessible Bridge locations, such as the top of the tower;
• New personally guided Bridge tours, including the first-ever night tours, utilizing the latest in audio technology; and
• Enhancements to the Bridge Plaza and the adjacent national parklands, trails and overlooks within Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).
Fact vs. Fiction
FICTION: The Golden Gate Bridge is named for its radiant color.
FACT: The Bridge’s official hue is not gold but International Orange. The Bridge is actually named for the Golden Gate Strait, the narrow entrance between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. The strait was named by explorer and U.S. Army officer John C. Frémont, who marveled at its beauty in 1846—two years before the discovery of gold in California. In his memoirs, he wrote that he named it Chrysopolae (Golden Gate) because of its similarity to the harbor of Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul), dubbed Chrysoceras (Golden Horn).
FICTION: The Golden Gate Bridge is painted end-to-end each year.
FACT: While painting is considered a primary maintenance task, only routine touch-ups are performed in the course of a year. The Bridge was painted when it was originally built, and in 1965, a process was begun to replace the original lead-based paint with an inorganic zinc silicate primer and acrylic emulsion topcoat. In the 1980s, this paint was replaced by a water-borne inorganic zinc primer and an acrylic topcoat. In addition to its aesthetic qualities, the paint protects the Bridge from the salt that corrodes and rusts the steel components.
FICTION: The Golden Gate Bridge was universally beloved from the beginning.
FACT: When the original design was revealed to the public in December 1922, the press derided Joseph Strauss’ symmetrical cantilever-suspension design as “ugly.” There were also those who opposed the idea of a Bridge to begin with—including ferry operators and in famed photographer Ansel Adams and members of the Sierra Club, who thought a manmade structure would detract from the natural beauty of the Golden Gate. (source: http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-04-18/news/20858555_1_urban-legends-san-francisco-urban-myth/2)
FICTION: The Golden Gate Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the world.
FACT: The Bridge did hold this superlative title from 1937 to 1964—when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York opened to bump the Golden Gate from the top spot. The Golden Gate Bridge’s 4,200-foot-long main suspension span (the distance between the towers) now ranks 9th in the world in terms of length, with the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge of Japan topping the list at 6,529 feet. While the Golden Gate Bridge does not rank as the world’s widest, tallest, or most trafficked Bridge, it does hold claim to at least one lofty title: the most photographed span on the planet. (source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/02/travel/record-breaking-bridges-bt/index.html) FICTION: There was a dead body entombed in the anchorage block concrete during original construction.
FACT: This is a grim one, sorry! But it gets mention from time to time. It is simply a myth and will remain that way.