ar august 2001 delight done

17/8/01

4:11 pm

Page 97

delight

A MUCH LOVED PART OF THE NEW YORK SKYLINE, THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE HAS BEEN REINVIGORATED
BY AN INNOVATIVE LIGHTING SCHEME THAT DRAMATICALLY ILLUMINATES ITS EXPOSED STEEL STRUCTURE .

Elegantly linking the upper reaches of Manhattan with New Jersey,

the George Washington Bridge was an icon of its time, combining
technological progress with formal refinement. Completed in 1931
to designs of Cass Gilbert and Swiss civil engineer Othar H.
Ammann, its 3500ft span doubled the then record for suspension
bridges and its dramatic open steel towers and curving cables
inspired Le Corbusier to hail it as the only seat of grace in the
disordered city. However, the lattice-like form was actually the
serendipitous outcome of cost cutting. Ammann had originally
intended that the two 604ft tall support towers be clad in granite,
but the onset of the Great Depression necessitated severe cuts in
the bridges budget, making stone unaffordable. Yet despite initial
misgivings, Ammann quickly rallied to the notion of exposed steel
and the armatures of the twin towers are powerful and dignified
expressions of engineering design. In 1946, the original six lanes of

traffic were increased to eight and in 1962 a lower level was added.
Last year 108 million vehicles crossed the George.
Despite the addition in the 1960s of pole-mounted floodlights to
illuminate the roadway, plans to light the entire structure never
materialized. This state of affairs has recently been addressed by a
new lighting scheme by Domingo Gonzalez Associates. The practice
has collaborated with New Yorks Port Authority on various
transportation lighting projects and won an invited competition to
illuminate the entire bridge. The project focuses on the twin towers,
which glow radiantly from within like crystals, adding to Manhattans
twinkling cityscape. A series of carefully positioned 1000-watt metal
halide uplighters supply clear white light that evenly illuminates the
steel cages. Sadly this dazzling light-show is reserved for high days
and holidays, but even so, it splendidly reinvigorates and celebrates a
much-loved historic structure. CATHERINE SLESSOR