Vignette > Golden Gate Bridge

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began in 1933. The manager of erection, Mr. McLane, chose to live in Mill Valley. He rented a small house on Alcatraz Place for a short time before moving to a much larger house on N. Ferndale Ave. in Homestead Valley. Mr. and Mrs. McLane owned a home in southern California, but during the previous ten years they had resided there only for brief periods because Mr. McLain’s work on many of the nation’s largest bridge projects made it impossible for them to remain in one place permanently.  In the family, besides Mr. and Mrs. McLain, were four sons and a daughter. Edward was a student at Marin Junior College, and Robert and Gaynel Lois attended Tamalpais High School. Two older sons, Garner and William, lived elsewhere, the latter a teacher in the schools at Garden Grove. Construction of both the San Francisco and Marin towers proceeded simultaneously. By the summer of 1935, both towers were ready for spinning the cables. The photo of the Marin end shows the anchorage and the tower. Note the Lime Point lighthouse. The $35 million project  (about $500 million in today’s dollars) was completed ahead of schedule.