This postcard of the Queensboro Bridge—also known as the 59th Street Bridge or the Blackwell’s Island Bridge in its early years—reveals a structure surrounded by industry and grit. It opened in 1909, linking Manhattan’s East Side to the factories of Long Island City.
The Queensboro still doesn’t get the appreciation the Brooklyn or Williamsburg Bridges receive. But it has fans who extoll its virtues.
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that “the city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time in its wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”
And of course, there’s Simon and Garfunkel’s ode to feelin’ groovy: “The 59th Street Bridge Song.”
Tags: 59th Street Bridge, Blackwell's Island Bridge, Gashouse District, Long Island City, Queensboro Bridge, Simon and Garfunkel, The 59th Street Bridge Song, The Great Gatsby
Ephemeral New York 
February 4, 2009 at 1:48 pm |
Check out the book
http://www.astorialic.org/ecom/book_store_p.php
All proceeds for programming in the community.
February 4, 2009 at 2:49 pm |
I think the Queensboro Bridge isn’t appreciated because it’s a workingman’s bridge, not a tourist attraction (Brooklyn) or associated with certain “cool” and “trendy” demographics (Williamsburg). The industry is gone, but the grit is still there.
One thing that would instantly make it cool is bringing back the trolley.
February 4, 2009 at 6:25 pm |
great post.
February 4, 2009 at 7:09 pm |
There was also that great scene which showcased its mystery and beauty in the Woody Allen film, Manhattan.”
February 4, 2009 at 10:57 pm |
re GAHS:
i think just this week i saw that queensboro bridge book in B&N with a different cover. is it the same book?
February 5, 2009 at 7:39 pm |
I always have admired this particular bridge. Being a previous frequent driver upon its upper span, I always chose the outer single lane. This afforded a more intimate feel and much nicer views.
Maureen
November 16, 2012 at 2:31 am |
[…] STORIES:Queensborough Bridge “Mystery and Beauty” (Ephemeral New […]
March 22, 2013 at 8:53 pm |
Where did you find that wonderful postcard and who owns the rights to it? I would like to use it in a postcard exhibit if possible. Thank you.
March 23, 2013 at 4:03 am |
I purchased it at a collectibles store. I’m not sure who owns the rights to it, if anyone. it’s so old it might be in the public domain.
January 22, 2015 at 3:30 pm |
Where could I get a print of this painting?
October 5, 2015 at 4:49 am |
[…] the distance is the Queensboro Bridge, built in 1909. This version of Grand Central wouldn’t last long; it would be knocked down […]
August 26, 2019 at 4:47 am |
[…] in by towering apartment residences and the traffic-choked approach to the 59th Street Bridge, these antebellum anachronisms serve as humble reminders of pre-Civil War […]