Triple Meeting with an Elephant

Brooklyn Bridge – New York, a building for which several personalities have contributed, some of whom have remained heroes. The project was carried out by John Augustus Roebling, who was injured during the construction, eventually killing his life. Roebling crushed his right foot during a river maneuver near the bridge. Wound infected and died. Washington Roebling – his son – took over the work, but after a while he fell ill because of his visits to the legs of the bridge (compression / decompression phenomenon). He followed the inauguration of the bridge in a room in the city. The honor to finish the bridge was returned to the wife, who, without engineering knowledge, had done the job. He was the first to cross the bridge.

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Zeppelin station at Empire State Building

The top of the Empire State building was thought of as an anchor point for the zeppelins. It was a technical naivity, especially because the other part of the zeppelin was free in the wind. Landing would be very dangerous. Still, there was an imaginary character who would have had the courage for boarding: King Kong. As a result of monkeys traffic, a jungle emerged at the base of the building.

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Ships

As part of the immigration reception mechanism, Castle Garden has played an important role. It was the Immigration Reception Station. At first it was a city defense construction against the British (1812). It was also a cultural and theater center.

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Penn Station

Pennsylvania Rail Station is New York’s main railway station. It came up with the modernization of locomotives and tunnel construction (under the Hudson River). Located in Manhattan, it was built between 1901 and 1910. It was Gare d’Orsay Paris. After a decline in use, it was decided to demolish the building and rebuilt between 1963-1969. The demolition was accompanied by street protests, and the New York Times wrote: “The city receives what it wants, what it is capable of paying, and finally what it deserves.” “Until the first wall fell, no one thought Penn Station would be really demolished, or that New York would allow this monumental act of vandalism against the largest and most beautiful edifice of Roman elegance. “
Penn Station is today entirely under Madison Square Garden – the famous American arena

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Singer Building

An architectural giraffe ” – The New York Globe
“A bulbous mansard and giant lantern at the peak” – The New York Times
These were the ironic titles with which the American press witnessed the appearance of the Singer Building in New York.
Singer Building or Singer Tower was erected in 1908 by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. It had 47 floors. Between 1908 and 1909 he held the world record. Architect Ernest Flagg – an exponent of the Beaux-Arts style, was committed to the project. In 1961, Singer Manufacturind Company sold the building and moved to the Rockefeller Center. The building did not receive the landmark certificate so the new owner ordered hits demolition and replacement with a new one. The new building had up to 10 times more space on the floor. The floors of the Singer tower had become too narrow for the ambitions of modern New York. New York Times wrote:
““Daring in ’08, Obscure in ’68.”
The Singer building was beautifully decorated in terracotta, red brick, colored stone. It was the tallest building in the world subjected to the willful demolition. It was the world’s tallest building, a record beaten by the tragedy of the Twin Towers – World Trade Center in 2001. The interior was decorated with a forest of marble columns that wore the company emblem. After demolition all the decorations were sold.

 

 

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Titanic Between Bridges

A pleasant surprise for me: the revelation of New York’s tribute to the victims of the Titanic ship’s wreck. Titanic is a topic I’ve been studying for a year. There are always new things to discover. Near the Brooklyn Bridge was the Seaman’s Church Institute; on this building was built by public subscription a lighthouse and a mast – two symbols as homage to the victims of Titanic. While I was representing the building in detail – there were not many pictures left with it – I felt I had to deal with the Doge Palace of Venice; that because of the similar decorations. The building no longer exists, but the lighthouse remained – lost somewhere on a street.

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Clock Tower

    Campanile di Piazza San Marco, Venezia – this was the model after which the Americans built the Clock Tower. The building is in the vicinity of Madison Square Park, very close to the Flatiron building. For four years it was the tallest building in the world. The tower has 41 floors, and the clock has quadrants on all four sides of the tower, being among the largest in the world.

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Empire State Building Lobby

    The two entrances to the building are dominated by stainless steel shapes. The lobby has three levels. On the ground floor there is an aluminum fresco in which the building is represented. The first 85 floors of the building are occupied by various institutions, and the 16 upper levels remain the art-deco Tower. The last level is Observatory Deck; for a long time the railing was endowed with threatening sewers against suicides.

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Carnegie Hall Chandelier

Carnegie Hall was built by Andrew Carnegie in 1891 for the Oratorio Society of New York and the New York Symphony Society. Architect William Burnet Tuthill was commissioned to do the project and went to Europe to document himself. The acoustics of the room came out of a very good quality, but the appearance was a new one compared to those seen in Europe. However, the audience wanted a chandelier in the main hall and my work refers to this aspect, to call it “romantic”. The balconies were also missing. Carnegie Hall Tower was built in 1991, bringing the theater to the overall look of the 60-story skyscraper.

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Biltmore Hotel Clock at Palmcourt

The building was demolished in 1981 despite its “landmark” status and street protests. The hotel had a clock at the reception in Palmcourt under which various meetings were held. The place had become famous. Hence the expression in the USA: “We meet under the clock!”. It also remained famous for its direct connection to Grand Central Station, with its own arrival station. After the demolition of the building, the clock was set in the lobby of the new building.

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Decoration of Flatiron Building

Harry S. Black hired architect Daniel Burnham to design the new building. In a romantic way, Black accepted the decoration of the building with beautiful bas-reliefs at a height that no one sees! This is the subject of my slightly satirical painting. The exterior decorations are especially beautiful. I found in old documents the expression: “Renaissance palazzo with Beaux-Arts”. The Flatiron Building was the most criticized skyscraper in New York. All the press published articles referring to its triangular section and the fear of collapsing. Today, Flatiron is one of the city’s major attractions. He has been the subject of paintings, films, photographs and postcards. It was the first building built on metal structure in New York. Hence the name “metal block”, flat-iron.

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Chelsea Piers

The chimneys of the ships turn one by one into skyscrapers, a sign that anyone arriving in New York must adapt to the specific American life. Chelsea Piers are a series of luxury maritime terminals built on pillars in Chelsea, in the west of Manhattan. Located west of the West Side (Eleventh Avenue) and Hudson River Park and east of the Hudson River, they were originally just a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s, which was used by RMS Lusitania and was the destination of the ship RMS Carpathia after rescuing survivors from RMS Titanic. Pylons have replaced a variety of dilapidated waterfront structures with a row of grand buildings embellished with pink granite facades.

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Gardens of the Nations

The Garden of Nations is on the 11th floor of the main building of the Rockefeller complex. Architect Ralph Hancock took care of the garden arrangements between 1933-1935, including various plants, tulips, trees, stone, waterfalls. The countries represented were the Netherlands, France, Japan, Italy and Spain. The inauguration was done with great speed. Water and energy consumption was great; In 1938 the garden became unprofitable and closed. The image is represented by a blooming tree. But in my painting I wanted to highlight another aspect, namely: the entire Rockefeller complex was built on the site of a former botanical garden – Elgin Gardens. She is represented in the image by Sera Elgin, which I placed in Central Park.

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Empire State Building Observatory Desk

A financial study shows that the money earned from the observer’s visitor tickets exceeds the rent earnings from all the rooms in the building. The ticket is marked as a “souvenir” to cherish it properly. But there is nothing to see between the ground floor and the last floors. It runs with elevators situated in the center of the building. Observatory Deck is a reward for those who are content with a general look at Manhattan.

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Walking in Row Park

19th-century journalism took place in the most imposing buildings in New York. The buildings were concentrated in Park Row, where the mayor’s office was. The three major newspapers had their headquarters here: The New York Times, The New York Tribune and The New York World. The New York World Building has been for many years the tallest building in the world.

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Scene at Flatiron Building

A legend has already been born about the whirlwinds and the strong current around the building – the most powerful in the city, according to some historians. The wind lifted the girls’ dresses, and the youngsters stood lurking to admire the scenery. A policeman came up beside the building to expel these naughty ones. It was here that the American expression “23 skidoo” was born first by police officers. “23” comes from the street name: 23rd Street (Manhattan).

S-a născut deja o legendă în legătură cu vârtejurile şi curentul puternic din jurul clădirii – cele mai puternice din oraş, după unii istorici. Vântul ridica rochiile fetelor, iar tinerii stăteau la pândă pentru a admira peisajul. Un poliţist venea special lângă clădire pentru a-i alunga pe aceşti obraznici. Aici s-a născut expresia americană “23 skidoo” rostită întâi de politişti, un fel de “Dă-i cu roiul!”. “23” vine de la numele străzii: 23rd Street (Manhattan).

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Work on Fifth Avenue

Two surprising appearances in my studies: the vehicle that could make a city tour and the traffic control tower. The vehicle – looking like an amphibian – was leaving in front of the Flatiron building. It was actually a trolley without a roof, with benches, driven by a driver. The tower could be seen and studied in old photographs taken on Fifth Avenue near the New York Public Library. It was small at the base to leave the traffic, and the top was a cabin with beautiful exterior decorations. It had three bright lights arranged horizontally and it seems to me that the “traffic light” appeared with green, yellow and red.

Două apariţii surpriză în studiile mele: vehiculul cu care se putea face un tur prin oraş şi turnul de control al traficului. Vehiculul – arătând ca o amfibie – pleca din faţa clădirii Flatiron. Era de fapt un cărucior fără acoperiş, cu băncuţe, condus de un şofer. Turnul l-am putut observa şi studia în fotografii vechi luate pe Fifth Avenue în apropierea Bibliotecii Publice New York. Era mic la bază pentru a lăsa loc traficului, iar sus era o cabină cu frumoase decoraţiuni exterioare. Avea trei semnale luminoase dispuse pe orizontală şi îmi pare ca atunci a apărut „semaforul” cu verde, galben şi roşu.

 

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Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. The Market

   From the story of the construction of the bridge and the surrounding area, I chose to capture three things: the form of the “ugly” bridge seen from the shore, the teleferic and the Food Emporium market. The work can become one of my favorite pieces of the series. It is a combination of the American technical effort and maybe the Wild West, represented here by the farmers’ wagons.

Din toată povestea construirii podului şi a împrejurimilor, am ales să surprind trei lucruri: forma podului “cel urât” văzut de pe mal, telefericul şi piaţa Food Emporium. Lucrarea poate să devină una dintre piesele mele preferate ale seriei. Este o combinaţie a efortului tehnic american şi poate,Vestul Sălbatic, reprezentat aici de căruţele fermierilor.

 

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Chelsea Port of Zeppelins

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Times Building

The New York Times settled in this building coming from Park Row, near the Town Hall. The building dominates Times Square. It is a triangular building in two levels. It looks like Flatiron Building. It was particularly beautiful with spectacular decorations. Today it is completely covered with glass and bright advertising. The interior is no longer inhabited. The famous newspaper gave the name to the building (Times Tower) and to the market (Times Square).

The New York Times s-a stabilit în această clădire venind din Park Row, de langă Primărie. Clădirea domina Times Square. Este o clădire triunghilară în două trepte. Seamănă cu Flatiron Building. A fost deosebit de frumoasă cu decoraţiuni spectaculoase. Astăzi este complet acoperită cu sticlă şi reclame luminoase. Interiorul nu mai este locuit. Ziarul american a dat numele clădirii (Times Tower) şi numele pieţei (Times Square).

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Stunning Performance at Grand Theater

  It was a Jewish contribution to the New York culture. The façade had many neoclassical motifs, but to the limit of good taste. The representations were amateur and were severely criticized and ironied in the press. The only professional was an old actor. The audience was entertained in fact by the actors’ blunder. At the end of a show, the heavy curtain fell over an actor, putting him on the floor (The Sun). Today, if it existed, the theater would have been in Chinatown.

A fost o contribuţie evreiască la cultura oraşului New York. Faţada avea numeroase motive neoclasice, dar la limita bunului gust. Reprezentaţiile erau ale unor amatori şi erau sever criticate şi ironizate în presă. Singurul profesionist era un bătrân actor. Publicul se distra de fapt pe seama gafelor actorilor. La finalul unei reprezentaţii, cortina grea a căzut peste un actor, punându-l la podea(The Sun). Astăzi, dacă ar mai fi existat, teatrul s-ar fi situat în Chinatown.

 

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Chrysler Building Entrance in Central Park

   The impressive entrance to the well-known Chrysler building has made me consider it a subject for this thematic series. Two phenomens characterized the time of the building, namely: the Great Depression with its poverty and the rise of some legendary skyscrapers like Chrysler Building. In Central Park there was a Hooverville, a neighborhood of the poor when the President of America was Herbert Hoover.

Impunătoarea intrare din cunoscuta clădire Chrysler m-a determinat s-o consider un subiect pentru această serie tematică. Două fenomene caracterizau timpul în care a apărut clădirea, şi anume: marea criză – Great Depression – cu sărăcia ei şi ridicarea unor legendari zgârâie nori precum Chrysler Building. În Central Park s-a ridicat un Hooverville, un cartier al săracilor când Preşedintele Americii era Herbert Hoover.

 

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The return way of Elephants on Brooklyn Bridge

   The resistance test of the Brooklyn Bridge was made with a group of circus elephants from Barnum, led by the famous Jumbo. I tracked the route in the papers carefully, and I learned the direction in which the elephants crossed the bridge. They started from Manhattan. I did not find anywhere if they were back on the bridge or stayed in Brooklyn. There were 21 elephants, 7 camels and 10 dromaders.

Proba de rezistenţă a podului Brooklyn s-a făcut cu un grup de elefanţi de circ din trupa Barnum, conduşi de celebrul Jumbo. Am urmărit cu atenţie traseul în documente şi am aflat direcţia în care au traversat elefanţii podul. Au pornit din Manhattan. Nu am găsit nicăieri dacă s-au întors tot pe pod sau au rămas în Brooklyn. Au fost 21 elefanţi, 7 camile şi 10 dromaderi.

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Vanderbilt Gate of Central Park

   It’s a place where married young people are making photo sessions today. But what is the past of this gates? It comes from an old house that “The New York Times” wrote as “the nicest living space in America.” The castle was demolished only 40 years after its construction, because after the disappearance of the Vanderbilt clan, there was no one to take over. Alice Vanderbilt was the last person in the family to administer the home. She has remained in New York City’s history to host the most famous ball of dresses, her costume entitled “Electric Light” – an allusion to Thomas Edison’s discovery.

Este un loc unde tinerii căsătoriţi desfaşoară astăzi şedinţe fotografice. Dar care este trecutul acestei porţi? Ea provine dintr-o casă veche despre care “The New York Times” a scris ca fiind “cel mai frumos spaţiu de locuit din America”. Castelul a fost demolat după numai 40 de ani de la ridicarea lui, deoarece după dispariţia clanului Vanderbilt, nu a avut cine să-l preia. Alice Vanderbilt a fost ultima persoană din familie care a administrat locuinţa. Ea a rămas în istoria oraşului New York pentru organizarea celui mai faimos bal al rochiilor, costumul ei purtând titlul ”Electric Light” – aluzie la descoperirea lui Thomas Edison.

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Central Synagogue

The Synagogue is an architectural monument – landmark. It was built in 1870-1872 after a model in Budapest. During its construction, its monumentality has engendered envy, which damages the phenomenon of assimilation. The Moorish style was nevertheless accepted. It has two octagonal towers, meaning the remnants of the Temple of Solomon. They end with two copper cups in the shape of onions.

Sinangoga este monument de arhitectură – landmark. A fost construită în 1870-1872 după un model din Budapesta. Pe timpul construcţiei, monumentalitatea sa a stârnit invidie, ceea ce dăuna fenomenului de asimilare. Stilul arhitecturii maure era totuşi acceptat. Are două turnuri octogonale, ce vor să însemne rămăsiţe ale Templului lui Solomon. Ele se termină cu două cupole din cupru în formă de ceapă.

  
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Blue Grotto – Brooklyn Bridge

   Ever since the construction of the bridge (1876), the New York City Hall rented the pillars of support to raise funds. The Manhattan pillar was used as a wine warehouse. It was named Blue Grotto due to the color of Mary’s vestibule from an altar at the entrance to the pillar. Storage temperature was constant at 16 ° C.

Încă de la începerea construcţiei podului (1876), Primăria New York a închiriat compartimentele din pilonii de susţinere pentru a aduna fonduri. Pilonul din partea Manhattan a fost folosit ca depozit de vinuri. A primit numele de Blue Grotto datorită culorii veşmântului fecioarei Maria dintr-un altar de la intrarea în pilon. Temperatura în depozit era constantă, 16°C.

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Walter and Della Viola Chrysler

   Walter Chrysler was born in 1875. He led several societies throughout his career: American Locomotive Co., Buick Motor, Willys Overland and Maxwell. He produced the Plymouth, De Soto and Chrysler cars. The Chrysler building raised it for its children. At only 56 years he is withdrawing from work. Unfortunately, his wife, Della Viola, dies after two years. Walter suffered a shock that he never recovered from. He was named Man of the Year in 1928 by Time Magazine.

Walter Chrysler s-a născut în 1875. A condus mai multe societăţi de-a lungul carierei sale: American Locomotive Co., Buick Motor, Willys Overland şi Maxwell. A produs automobilele Plymouth, De Soto şi Chrysler. Clădirea Chrysler a ridicat-o pentru copii săi. La numai 56 de ani se retrage din activitate. Din păcate soţia sa, Della Viola moare după doi ani. Walter a suferit un şoc, din care nu şi-a mai revenit niciodată. A fost numit Omul Anului în 1928 de Time Magazine.

 

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Mount Sinai Hospital

   The story of Mount Sinai Hospital is representative of dramatic architectural changes in New York – the last 150 years. During this time, the hospital was in turn in four buildings, two of which were on Lexington Street, represented in painting. I studied this institution as a sign of respect for the remarkable scientific discoveries made by medical staff in the 170 years since their establishment. Today the hospital is in a huge building on Fifth Avenue facing Central Park.

Povestea spitalului Mount Sinai este reprezentativă pentru schimbările arhitecturale dramatice din New York – ultimii 150 de ani. În această perioadă, spitalul s-a situat pe rând în patru clădiri, dintre care 2 au fost pe Lexington Street, reprezentate în pictură. Am luat în studiu această instituţie, în semn de respect pentru remarcabilele descoperiri ştiinţifice făcute de personalul medical în cei 170 de ani de la înfiinţare. Astăzi spitalul este într-o clădire imensă, pe Fifth Avenue, cu faţa spre Central Park.

 

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Penn Entrace in U.S.A.

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Holland Tunnel Traffic Controller

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69th Street Transfer Bridge – Hudson River

   If Manhattan’s connection with Brooklyn was solved by some bridges, the one with New Jersey was a big problem. The Hudson River, much wider than the East River, led to the idea of ​​ferry, and later tunnels were built.
A known crossing point was “69th Street Transfer Bridge”. It was the terminal that took over the West Side Manhattan railway wagons. The sides of the plant kept the wagons from falling into the water. The construction was innovative and worked well for decades. And today there are some relics of the machine. By spreading the press, we also found a mischievous article in the New York Times. An old man living in Trump Square is quoted as saying: “The machine is a garbage, and it must be removed!”. But this garbage showed me how things worked in the past in New York, becoming able to get a more complete picture of the city’s freight.

Dacă legătura Manhattan-ului cu Brooklyn s-a rezolvat prin câteva poduri, cea cu New Jersey a fost o mare problemă. Râul Hudson, mult mai lat decât East River, a condus la ideea transportului cu feribotul, şi mai târziu s-au construit două tunele.
Un punct cunoscut de trecere cu bacurile a fost “69th Street Transfer Bridge”. Era terminalul care prelua vagoanele de cale ferată din West Side Manhattan. Lateralele instalaţiei ţineau vagoanele să nu cadă în apă. Construcţia a fost inovatoare şi a funcţionat bine zeci de ani. Şi astăzi se mai văd câteva relicve ale utilajului. Răsfoind presa, am găsit şi în acest caz un articol răutăcios în New York Times. Este citat un bătrân care locuieşte în Trump Square: “Utilajul este un gunoi, şi trebuie eliminat!”. Dar acest “gunoi” mi-a arătat cum funcţionau lucrurile în trecut, în New York, devenind capabil să-mi fac o imagine mai completă asupra transportului de marfă din oraş.

 

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Miss Brooklyn and Miss Manhattan

   At the end of the nineteenth century, the connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn was made on the two existing bridges across the East River. They were considered as gateways for the massive flow from Manhattan overpopulation to the Brooklyn underdeveloped. Here is why the new bridge was built: “Bridge Number 3”. Brooklyn Bridge traffic has become unbearable and very dangerous for the population and the stability of the bridge. Therefore some of the public transport functions have been stopped. Between 1900 and 1909 several mayors have changed to lead the city, and several architects have come up with bridge projects. The one who has puzzled was the Municipal Commission for Art. It was a group of highly influential officials. Initially, hybrid projects were proposed that brought details from the other two existing bridges, referring to the suspension system at the bridge and at the foot of the bridge. Eventually, Leon Moisseff’s project, which came with a modern concept – a new vision of the cable suspension system, was approved.

La sfârşitul secolului al XIX-lea legătura între Manhattan şi Brooklyn se făcea pe cele două poduri existente peste East River. Erau considerate drept porţi de intrare pentru masivul flux dinspre suprapopulatul Manhattan, spre subdezvoltatul Brooklyn. Iată deci motivul construirii noului pod: “Bridge Number 3”. Traficul pe Brooklyn Bridge devenise insuportabil şi foarte periculos pentru populaţie şi pentru stabilitatea podului. De aceea, o parte din funcţiunile de transport public au fost sistate. Între 1900 şi 1909 mai mulţi primari s-au schimbat la conducerea oraşului, şi mai mulţi arhitecţi au venit cu proiecte pentru pod. Cea care a încurcat iţele a fost Comisia Municipală pentru Artă. Era un grup de responsabili foarte influenţabili. Iniţial, au fost propuse proiecte hibrid, care aduceau detalii de la celelalte două poduri existente, acestea referindu-se la sistemul de suspendare a punţii şi la picioarele podului. Până la urmă, a fost aprobat proiectul lui Leon Moisseff, care a venit cu un concept modern – o nouă viziune asupra sistemului de suspendare prin cabluri.

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Williamburg Bridge and Low Line Project