Bridges Ponte Vecchio The Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridge
Building bridges is a common metaphor for creating connections betweenpeople, and indeed that is what the physical structures themselves oftenaccomplish, creating connections between cities and the inhabitants withincities themselves. Bridges enable both greater ease of transportation, andthus greater ability for individuals to engage in cultural and economiccommerce. They also, as physical structures of beauty, can embody thespirit of a city. This can clearly be seen as early as the case of thePonte Vecchio Bridge, the most famous bridge of Florence. Florence is theItalian city that spawned the Renaissance, and the Ponte Vecchio became asymbol of the city's greatness, and how it exemplified Classical Rome andalso the newness of the Italian Renaissance climate and culture. (Ponte Economically, Florence was also renown "for the goldsmiths' shops thatgive it an even more romantic appearance." Taddeo Gaddi and Neri diFioravanti "to substitute the ancient Roman bridge that had been destroyedmany times by the flooding of the Arno" built the bridge in 1345. Yetalthough the bridge's purpose was largely functional at first, for travelpurposes as a replacement for the ancient
" It was indeed constructed mainly for economic ratherthan scenic reasons, and chief engineer John Roebling's prediction that thepromenade above the deck will be "of incalculable value in a crowdedcommercial city" was justified, as well as his hope that "the greattowers. As a work of art, and asuccessful specimen of advanced bridge engineering, this structure willforever testify to the energy, enterprise, and wealth of that communitywhich shall secure its erection. " The bridge was intended to create a suspensionbridge of a modern, art deco style that embodied the spirit of Californiaand created a sense of beauty featuring color, sound and light. " Thus although Roebling hoped for art,references to wealth were never far from the minds of those whocommissioned and constructed the bridge. " It is also noted because it "hosts a bust of BenvenutoCellini by Raffaello Romanelli, and is crossed by Vasari's corridor. will be ranked as national monuments. Later, Ponte Vecchio's place in history was made even moresecure when it "was the only bridge that the Germans spared in their 1944retreat, partly because of the secure nature of its three archconstruction. Built during the 1940's, is "acclaimed as one of theworld's most beautiful bridges, because of its tremendous towers, sweepingcables and great span. (Brooklyn Bridge Facts andInformation, 2004) But the cable-style structure still stands in itsindustrial style and remain strong and functional an entire continent'sspan away from San Francisco's Golden Gate art deco style and that bridge'sbeauty and durability in its own unique suspension style. The bridgewas created as a work of physical beauty as well as functionality, andalmost as much work went into its design of the Golden Gate Bridge'slighting and texture, as to its physical construction. Roman ruin, its construction wasrendered beautiful in keeping with the spirit of the art-consciousRenaissance time and improved upon the ancient Roman structure with its tri-part style. Its pedestrianwalkway was given a great deal of attention as well, to ensure thatindividuals could walk across it as well as drive across it with east.
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Acceptance Essays
