WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE
South 6th† and Berry Streets, Williamsburg
APRIL 28, 1937. ABBOTT FILE 257

Williamsburg Bridge, variant image

Opened in 1903, the Williamsburg Bridge, which connects Manhattan's Lower East Side to Brooklyn, was the second bridge to span the East River. By 1913, trolleys, elevated trains, and subways crossed the bridge, spurring the growth of Brooklyn's working-class residential neighborhoods.

The long entry ramps to the bridge cut straight through the riverfront neighborhood, as Abbott's photograph dramatically demonstrates. Her long lens foreshortened the space between bridge tower and houses, exaggerating the effect; a variant made with a shorter lens gives a more accurate impression.

Today, most of the buildings in Abbott's view remain. Several businesses are owned by Hasidic Jews, who moved to the area in large numbers after World War II. The reinforcement of the bridge's cables have marred its graceful design.

† The research file mistakenly locates this site on South 8th Street.

Return to Brooklyn