Historian Jeffrey I. Richman will give a narrated slideshow, Building the Brooklyn Bridge, at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum on Thursday, November 21, at 7:00 pm – in the Reichert Planetarium. He will include many one-of-a-kind 3D images of the bridge as it was being built, projected onto the planetarium dome. All attendees will receive 3D glasses free of charge to help them enjoy this unique experience.
Drawing from his book, Building the Brooklyn Bridge, 1869-1883: An Illustrated History With Images in 3D (Bauer and Dean Publishers, 2021), he will tell the story of how an awe-inspiring structure of unprecedented size and technology was built over one of the busiest waterways in the world. His book receive the 2021 Book Award from The Victorian Society New York.
“Based on my years of collecting early photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge being built,” he said, “and my good fortune in being able to reach out to other collectors who generously offered me use of their one-of-a kind images, I was able to create a book of great visual power. These images show this wonderful icon as it was being built in a way that it had never been seen before—and much of it in 3D!”
Richman will describe the bridge in engaging detail and explain the challenges of construction, from foundations to massive cables to elegant towers. The bridge was a thoroughly modern and groundbreaking engineering marvel – in its use of new materials (steel) and pioneering construction techniques (pneumatic caissons). Designated the eighth wonder of the world soon after its completion, the bridge was named a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
“Building the Brooklyn Bridge is a perfect feast, a would-be time-traveler’s delight, overflowing with rare, evocative, and fascinating images.” –Kurt Andersen, bestselling author, journalist, host of Studio 360 on public radio
In 2007, after thirty-three years of practicing law, representing indigent criminal defendants, Richman became the full-time historian at Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. He is the author of three books, including Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery: New York’s Buried Treasure (1998). He has also curated many exhibitions, including three on the Civil War and one on Coney Island.