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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Roeblings Visit Anchorage Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge

The Roeblings -- John, Washington and Emily -- admire the bridge they built (the Brooklyn Bridge) at Anchorage Plaza. The anchorage itself is located inside the base of the Brooklyn Bridge at the intersection of Hicks Street and Old Fulton Street. (An anchorage is a large, very stable stone structure on either side of a bridge.)

According to Brooklyn Bridge Facts, John Roebling, the bridge's engineer, envisioned the anchorage as either a commercial arcade, or vault for the national treasury.


Inside the anchorage on the Brooklyn side is a "cavernous complex" of eight 50-foot tall spaces. These cathedral-like rooms were walled off and used for storage for many years (at one point used for wine storage, then for military storage) until 1983, when an arts organization -- Creative Time -- installed a series of highly popular exhibits there.


The Anchorage was closed to the public after September 11, 2001, for national security reasons.


Photos by MK Metz

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