Golden Gate Bridge history in photos: Early designs, geological tests, and planning decisions that shaped the bridge

Few structures are so instantly recognizable as the Golden Gate Bridge—but its existence was anything but inevitable.

Long before construction began, the idea of spanning the Golden Gate Strait met resistance on every front—technical, financial, even aesthetic. What eventually emerged was not just a bridge, but a masterwork of design and engineering.

This article returns to the project’s earliest phase, when the bridge existed only in drawings, scale models, and field tests. Through archival photographs preserved by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, we follow the evolution of the design—from rejected cantilever forms to the refined suspension system we know today—and the foundational studies that made it possible.

At the center of the story is Joseph B. Strauss, the engineer who first proposed a cantilever-suspension hybrid design in 1921. His early concept was eventually transformed by a team of innovative collaborators—including Leon S. Moisseiff, O.H. Ammann, and Charles A. Ellis—into the elegant all-suspension bridge we know today. What followed was a series of rigorous tests, groundbreaking geological studies, and a surprising range of artistic and promotional renderings.

These galleries explore that history in three parts.

Gallery 1: Design Rejected, Ideas Refined

This set of images shows the conceptual and scientific groundwork behind the bridge’s eventual design.

1. Early Concept Drawing – A preliminary rendering of the proposed bridge shows a bulky, cantilever-style design extending out from each tower. This version was widely criticized at the time, even labeled “ugly” by the local press. It would later be scrapped in favor of the more streamlined suspension design.
2. Load Testing at Princeton (1933) – A scaled model of one of the bridge towers undergoes vertical load testing in a civil engineering lab at Princeton University. The test simulated a 120-million-pound load—the real weight each tower would bear from the suspension cables. For scale, that's roughly the weight of a full-sized ocean liner.
3. Golden Gate Bridge District Logo (1933) – The official emblem of the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District at the time reflects the original cantilever-suspension design, even though the final design had already shifted to a full suspension bridge.
4. Geological Section Drawing by Andrew C. Lawson – A detailed cross-section illustrates the complex rock formations beneath the Golden Gate Strait. The diagram highlights the geology at the two tower sites and anchorages, revealing the challenges engineers faced in planning a stable foundation.

Gallery 2: Press Coverage and Planning Underway

This gallery features archival newspaper articles from 1929–1930 that offer a snapshot of how the bridge project entered the public eye and became a subject of serious engineering coverage.

1. "Getting Down to Bedrock" – San Francisco Examiner, Feb. 14, 1930 – Engineers Charles Derleth, O.H. Ammann, Andrew C. Lawson, and Joseph Strauss examine core samples. The image underscores the importance of geological analysis in determining the south tower’s foundation.
2. "Engineers Speed Plans for Golden Gate Bridge" – Pacific Street and Road Builder, March 1930 – An article includes an illustration of the earlier, hybrid bridge design, which was ultimately abandoned. It captures the optimism and urgency of the early planning phase.
3. "Borings Started for Gate Span" – Vallejo Chronicle, Sebastopol Times, and Crescent City Triplicate, Nov. 29, 1930 – This syndicated article features photos of diamond-tipped drilling equipment used to take rock samples at the San Francisco end of the bridge, near Fort Point.
4. "Strauss Made Chief" – San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 16, 1929 – A major development in the project: Joseph Strauss is officially appointed Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District, alongside a newly formed Board of Engineers that includes Moisseiff, Ammann, and Derleth.

Gallery 3: Renderings, Logos, and Unrealized Dreams

Our final gallery presents a mix of design renderings and branding efforts that helped build public support for the bridge. They also offer a glimpse of features that never made it off the drawing board.

1. Proposed Golden Gate Bridge – Western Construction News, Sept. 10, 1930 – A full-color artistic rendering of the finalized suspension design, including ornate plazas and public buildings at either end of the bridge. These grand architectural flourishes were never built.
2. Pencil Rendering Looking North – by Eberson and Eberson Inc. – A stylized architectural sketch proposes dramatic sidewalls along the roadway and a monumental entrance portal on the southern approach—another concept ultimately dropped.
3. 1937 Annual Report Cover – The cover of the Bridge District’s 1937 report shows how the organization’s logo evolved. The name would later change in 1969, reflecting an expansion beyond the bridge itself with the launch of ferry service and other regional transportation initiatives.

Upcoming in this Series

This article is the first in a series celebrating the Golden Gate Bridge’s 88th anniversary by spotlighting the forgotten history and archived materials behind its creation. Future entries will feature rare construction photos, behind-the-scenes engineering milestones, and mid-century celebrations of the bridge’s cultural impact.