CBH Talk | Three Roeblings, 140 Years, and Celebrating the Brooklyn Bridge
When the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883, it was heralded as one of man’s greatest engineering feats. This month, with the bridge’s 140th anniversary upon us, CBH presents a lively discussion about its visionary builders: John, Washington, and Emily Roebling. Join experts Richard Haw, author of Engineering America: The Life and Times of John A. Roebling and Erica Wagner, author of Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge, for this exploration of who John, Washington, and Emily were as people and bridge builders, their relationships with each other, and their legacies. They’re joined by Clara Medina of NYC Department of Transportation Bridge Repair, who oversees repairs on the Brooklyn Bridge today.
The conversation is led by author and expert Kate Ascher, who leads a variety of strategic projects involving transportation and infrastructure and is currently a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
This program is offered in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation.
Participants
Kate Ascher currently serves as the Milstein Professor of Urban Development at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she teaches real estate, infrastructure and urban planning courses. She also leads a variety of strategic projects involving transportation and other forms of infrastructure as a consultant to Buro Happold Engineering, where she served as partner through 2019. Prior to joining Columbia and Buro Happold, Kate served as Director of Development at Vornado Realty Trust, Executive Vice-President overseeing planning and infrastructure at the NYC Economic Development Corporation under Mike Bloomberg, and Assistant Director of the Port at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Kate holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and is the author of several books on urban infrastructure (The Works, The Heights and The Way to Go), as well as co-author of New York Rising, an illustrated anthology of New York City’s physical evolution. She serves on the Boards of the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center in NYC and the Holcim Foundation, based in Zurich.
Erica Wagner is the author of Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge. Published in 2017, it was one of the Economist’s Books of the Year and was described by that publication as “a masterful psychological study about duty and drive.” Her most recent book is Mary and Mr Eliot: A Sort Of Love Story, out this year from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. She was the literary editor of the London Times for seventeen years and is a contributing writer for the New Statesman and consulting literary editor for Harper’s Bazaar. She is Goldsmiths Distinguished Writers’ Centre Fellow and on the Board of Directors at Creatd, Inc.
Photo by Theo Wagner.
Richard Haw is a Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), New York. He is the author of Engineering America: The Life and Times of John A. Roebling (2020), as well as The Brooklyn Bridge: A Cultural History (2006) and Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History (2008). A native of Leeds in the UK, he now lives with his daughter in Brooklyn, where he likes to sew, build furniture, and take walks.
Clara Medina is a bridge repair engineer at the New York City Department of Transportation, specializing in the East River bridges, which includes the iconic Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Queensboro Bridges. In her role, Clara oversees a range of repair and maintenance tasks, including repairing concrete and steel structures and replacing corroded components. She also conducts inspections, assists with snow removal, and responds to bridge and roadway emergency situations. With over 20 years of experience at NYC DOT, Clara works with a team responsible for ensuring the safety and reliability of nearly 800 bridges across the five boroughs.
