George Washington Bridge and Triborough Bridge construction photographs
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Approximately 100 black-and-white photographs of the construction of the George Washington Bridge (opened 1931), connecting Manhattan with New Jersey, and the Triborough Bridge (opened 1936), connecting Manhattan with the Bronx and Queens. The photographs were taken by Frank J. Trani (1902-1981), a civil engineer for the Port Authority of New York, who worked on both projects. Also present are two periodical clippings that feature a photograph of Trani on the George Washington Bridge, a 442-page report published soon after that span's completion, and digital versions of the physical images in the collection, as well as additional digitized views and biographical documentation.
Biographical note
Frank J. Trani, born "Francesco" Trani in Messina, Sicily, in 1902, came to New York as an infant with his family. A graduate of Cornell University (1924, 1927), Trani worked as a civil engineer for the Port Authority of New York. Among their many infrastructure projects, he was involved in constructing the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel. Trani died in Drexell Hill, Pennsylvania, in 1981. [See his obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Friday 16 October 1981, p. 37, and "The Man on the Bridge," a biographical sketch by his son-in-law, Walter Fox, from the Fall 2011 issue of Italian America (copies of each in Folder 8).]
Arrangement
The collection remains in the order imposed by the donors, who assigned numbers—001 through 103—to each item (except for the four negatives and the USB flash drive holding digital versions of the photographs), and placed them all in numbered sleeves. Numbers 001-089 are George Washington Bridge construction photographs. Numbers 090-102 are Triborough Bridge construction photographs. Number 103 is a published report on the George Washington Bridge. See the container list for details.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of approximately 100 black-and-white photographs (most measure 3 x 5 inches; some are slightly larger or smaller) taken by Frank J. Trani (1902-1981), a civil engineer for the Port Authority of New York. Trani worked on construction of the George Washington Bridge (opened 1931), connecting upper Manhattan with Fort Lee, New Jersey across the Hudson River, and the Triborough Bridge (opened 1936; renamed for Robert F. Kennedy, 2008), connecting Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens across the Harlem River, Bronx Kill, and East River. The George Washington Bridge photographs, taken between 1928 and 1931, document the raising of its piers, anchorages, and towers, its girders being hoisted into place, and its cables being strung. Trani himself appears in a number of views, one of which illustrates a 1929 article in a periodical called "Construction Methods." The same image, edited to include additional figures, illustrates an undated magazine story called "Strong Arms" (clippings of each publication are found in Folder 2). Supplementing these photographs is a 442-page report replete with maps, diagrams, expenditures, statistics, and images: George Washington Bridge Across the Hudson River at New York, N.Y., reprinted from Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. 97 (1933). Trani's Triborough Bridge photographs, taken in 1935, show similar views of the construction methods employed on that project. Refer to the container list for transcriptions of Trani's descriptive captions.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
This collection may be stored offsite. To arrange to consult it, please go to www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282. Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: www.nyhistory.org/rights-and-reproductions.
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as: George Washington Bridge and Triborough Bridge Construction Photographs, PR 461, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.
Credit line (for exhibitions): "The family of Frank J. Trani."
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Peter Fox and Francine (Trani) Fox, 2019 (accession no. PPAC-2019-017). Ms. Fox is the daughter of Frank J. Trani (1902-1981).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Archivist Joseph Ditta arranged and described the physical portion of this collection in May-June 2023. Digital Archivist Margo Padilla processed the digital media in May 2023. Digital files were transferred off a USB drive using TeraCopy. Virus and malware scan was completed using ClamWin and Malwarebytes with no results.
Repository
View Inventory
001-030. George Washington Bridge construction photographs, 1928 August-November, inclusive
Scope and Contents
001. "McMullen Co foot-bridge and belt conveyor" (Aug. 1928)
002. "Beginning of erection of concrete distributing tower, N.Y. Anchorage" (Aug. 1928)
003. "Anchorage prior to pouring of concrete" (Aug. 1928)
004. "Pouring concrete in cofferdams for N.J. Tower Foundation" (undated)
005. "N.Y. Tower South Pier"(Aug. 9, 1928)
006. "N.Y. Tower South Pier" (Aug. 9, 1928)
007. "N.Y. Tower South Pier" (Aug. 9, 1928)
008. "Pouring pedestals for N.Y. tower" (Aug. 1928)
009. "N.Y. Tower North Pier" (Aug. 9, 1928)
010. "South Pier" (Aug. 1928)
011. "South Pier with first tier of columns in place" (Aug. 1928)
012. [no caption] (Aug. 1928)
013. "N.Y. Tower" (Aug. 1928)
014. "Tower" (Aug. 28, 1928)
015. "South Pier from traveler" (middle of Aug. 1928)
016. "North Slewing Engine" (Aug. 1928)
017. "Lifting and safety devices of traveler" (undated)
018. [no caption] (Sept. 12, 1928)
019. "N.Y. Tower" (Sept. 12, 1928)
020. "Lower portal of tower" (Sept. 12, 1928)
021. "Inspection crew with Reynolds, steel foreman" (Sept. 12, 1928)
022. "Lifting column for tower" (Oct. 1928)
023. "Raising 88 ton column section" (Nov. 1928)
024. "N.J. Tower" (Nov. 1928)
025. "Anchorage" (Nov. 1928)
026. "Anchor girders and eye-bars" (Nov. 1928)
027. "Anchor girders and eye-bars" (Nov. 1928)
028. "N.Y. Anchorage & tower" (Nov. 1928)
029. "Placing eye-bars in anchorage" (Nov. 1928)
030. [no caption] (undated)
031-063. George Washington Bridge construction photographs, 1929 July-December, inclusive
Scope and Contents
031. "Placing saddle casting section B-row N.Y. Tower" (undated)
032. [no caption] (undated)
033. "Foot bridge cables on barge ready to be towed to N.J." (July 8, 1929)
034. "Towing foot bridge cables to N.J." (July 8, 1929)
035. "N.Y. Anchorage from tower top" (July 8, 1929)
036. "A steel inspector" [Frank Trani top of N.Y. Tower] (July 8, 1929)
037. "Getting ready to hook on first footbridge cable" (July 9, 1929)
038. "Hooking on to 1st footbridge cable" (July 9, 1929)
039. [Frank Trani top of N.Y. Tower] (July 9, 1929)
040. "Raising 1st footbridge cable" (July 9, 1929)
041. "Lowering 1st footbridge cable in frame on tower top" (July 9, 1929)
042. "Frank Trani facing camera in white top. From Construction Methods" (Aug. 9, 1929) [Clipped, printed photograph from the publication "Construction Methods" showing Frank Trani and other bridge workers above the caption "FIRST CABLE for construction foot-walk of Hudson River bridge was strung between towers on New York and New Jersey sides July 9. Cable first was laid down on river bottom from barge and raised by cranes to tops of two towers."]
043. "Frank Trani photo used for illustration" (undated) [Partial clipping of a story, "Strong Arms," from an unidentified magazine. The piece is illustrated with the same photograph as number 042, edited to include other figures.]
044. "N.J. Tower & main span" (Sept. 18, 1929)
045. "Skip car loading" (Sept. 18, 1929)
046. "N.Y. Anchorage" (Sept. 18, 1929)
047. "N.Y. Tower & main span footbridge" (Sept. 18, 1929)
048. "[down? lower? south?] stream traveler" (Sept. 18, 1929)
049. "Footbridge & N.J. Tower" (Sept. 18, 1929)
050. Advertising card illustrating "Shaw Cranes on the Towers of the Hudson River Bridge . . . Owned and Operated by Manning Maxwell & Moore, Inc." (undated)
051. Frank Trani, George Washington Bridge Civil Engineer (1928) [alternate caption & date: "Frank Trani on top of N.Y. Tower" (Sept. 18, 1929)]
052. "Frank Trani" (Sept. 18, 1929) [alternate caption: "Frank Trani (Photo for LIFE Magazine)"; verso imprint: "Photo by Doris Day."]
053. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
054. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
055. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
056. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
057. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
058. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
059. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
060. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
061. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
062. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
063. [no caption] (Dec. 1929)
064-078. George Washington Bridge construction photographs, 1930 May-December, inclusive
Scope and Contents
064. "A cable" (May 1930) [alternate caption: "Frank Trani (at center w/hat)"]
065. "Frank Trani (seated at left)" (May 1930)
066. "Frank Trani w/'Roebling' cable spool" (May 1930)
067. [no caption] (July 1930)
068. [no caption] (July 1930)
069. [no caption] (July 1930)
070. [no caption] (July 1930)
071. [no caption] (Dec. 1930)
072. [no caption] (Dec. 1930)
073. "Connecting floor beam" (Dec. 1930)
074. [no caption] (Dec. 1930)
075. [no caption] (Dec. 1930)
076. "N.Y. Traveler" (Dec. 1930)
077. [no caption] (Dec. 1930)
078. "Looking west" (Dec. 1930)
079-089. Photographs of Frank J. Trani on George Washington Bridge, circa 1931, inclusive
Scope and Contents
079. [no caption] (undated)
080. [no caption] (undated)
081. [no caption] (undated)
082. [no caption] (undated)
083. [no caption] (undated)
084. [no caption] (undated)
085. [no caption] (undated)
086. [no caption] (undated)
087. [no caption] (undated)
088. [no caption] (undated)
089. "Frank Trani at right, w/brother Sam" (1931)
090-102. Triborough Bridge construction photographs, 1935 April-May, inclusive
Scope and Contents
090. "4:30 PM" (Apr. 2, 1935)
091. [no caption] (Apr. 27, 1935)
092. [no caption] (Apr. 27, 1935)
093. [no caption] (Apr. 27, 1935)
094. [no caption] (May 7, 1935)
095. [no caption] (May 11, 1935)
096. [no caption] (May 15, 1935)
097. [no caption] (undated)
098. [no caption] (undated)
099. [no caption] (undated)
100. [no caption] (undated)
101. [no caption] (undated)
102. [no caption] (undated)
103. George Washington Bridge Across the Hudson River at New York, N.Y., 1933, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Published by American Society of Civil Engineers in Collaboration with the Port of New York Authority. Reprinted from Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. 97 (1933).
Photographic negatives (4), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Three negatives show the George Washington Bridge, one with the Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse (popularly known as the Little Red Lighthouse), and another with a couple seated dockside before a sailing ship with the bridge in the distance. The remaining negative shows subway cars on an elevated train structure.
Conservation note
N-YHS conservation staff judged these negatives to be in stable condition, May 2023.
Collection documentation, circa 2019, inclusive
USB drive of digital images (see description below), circa 2019, inclusive
Restricted
The digital files have been transferred off the USB drive to N-YHS servers, and can be made available online for viewing only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org.
George Washington Bridge and Triborough Bridge Construction Photographs Digital Images
Scope and Contents
Digitized versions of the physical images in the collection, along with additional digitized views and documentation, supplied by the donor and grouped in seven categories:
1 Cornell Days
2 George Washington Bridge Construction 1928_1931
3 Triboro Bridge Construction 1935
4 First Cable Raising GWB_July 1929
5 Photos with Frank Trani
6 GWB construction photos from internet
7 Misc archive materials
Also present is a PDF of a biography of Frank J. Trani, "The Man on the Bridge," by his son-in-law, Walter Fox, from the Fall 2011 issue of Italian America. The archivist has printed a copy and placed it in Folder 8.
Conditions Governing Access
The digital files have been transferred off a USB drive to N-YHS servers, and can be made available online for viewing only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org.