California Historical Society Releases Free eBook Capturing Innovation and Inspiration of Golden Gate Bridge

As hundreds of thousands of admirers of the Golden Gate Bridge begin to converge on the San Francisco Bay area to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the world-renowned icon, the California Historical Society is releasing its first multimedia eBook for iPads to capture the rich history and amazing story of the Bridge through a selection of rarely seen artwork, photographs, video, memorabilia, stories, images and much more.

Published by The California Historical Society and produced by Sol Editions and Wild Blue Studios, the eBook was funded through a grant provided by UnitedHealthcare.The free iPad eBook, “A Wild Flight of the Imagination: The Story of the Golden Gate Bridge,” can be downloaded through the California Historical Society’s new, dynamic and image-rich website at www.californiahistoricalsociety.org. The app is also available on Apple’s iTunes® App Store as a free download under the name “GG Bridge”.

“The story of the Golden Gate Bridge is a remarkable one, captivating millions of people around the world with its themes of promise, innovation, perseverance and artistic inspiration,” said Dr. Anthea Hartig, Executive Director of the California Historical Society. “This eBook will help share that story and bring the amazing history of this California icon to life in an interactive way.”

The eBook’s title is drawn from the exhibition of the same name currently on view at the California Historical Society galleries. The phrase is borrowed from a 1921 promotional prospectus for the Golden Gate Bridge in which the authors, chief engineer for the bridge Joseph Strauss and San Francisco city engineer M.M. O’Shaughnessy, used inspirational language to set a tone for the enormously ambitious engineering feat.

The interactive multimedia app extends the reach of the California Historical Society’s exhibition and makes over 350 historic objects, including dozens of photographs, letters, journals, reports and other memorabilia from its own holdings and 19 other collections available to readers of all ages.

Highlights include photographs by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, paintings by Maynard Dixon, Ray Strong, and Chesley Bonestell, and architectural drawings by Irving F. Morrow and John Eberson, the two architects who worked on the bridge design. Video highlights include the heroic and poignant voices of men who built the bridge and an opening music selection from composer Rob Kapilow’s “Chrysopylae,” A Golden Gate Opus, written with contributions from sound designer Fred Newman.

Readers of all ages can also watch a short film of Chief Engineer Strauss speaking to a reporter on the bridge during construction, examine the family scrapbook of Fred Dummatzen, one of the workers who tragically lost his life when a scaffold collapsed, and even view some of the proposed bridge color schemes that were ultimately rejected.

“This eBook will connect people around the world with this incredible icon that has become a symbol of California’s innovative spirit,” said Dan Rosenthal, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Northern California. “UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the California Historical Society to help celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge and share its history through this unique multimedia forum.”

Visitors can experience the Golden Gate Bridge exhibition in person at the California Historical Society (CHS) gallery located at 678 Mission Street in San Francisco through October 14, 2012. Regular hours for public tours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Operating hours will be extended during the 75th Anniversary celebrations, and the gallery will be open to the public May 25-28 from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5 per person.

On Friday, May 25 at 6 pm, a special event will be held at CHS, Golden Gate Bridge: Icon, Metaphor, Inspiration, an evening discussion featuring John King, urban architecture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. The California Historical Society’s Ten Lions bookstore is also featuring Golden Gate Bridge souvenirs, memorabilia, books, postcards and other items for sale to visitors.

“This exciting new format allows us to bring the richness of our historic collections to a much larger audience, including teachers and students, and will enable many more people around the world to share in the Golden Gate’s 75th Anniversary, even if they cannot be here in person,” Hartig said.

The California Historical Society is also proud to be a partner in 75 Tributes to the Bridge, a community program commemorating the 75thAnniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, organized by The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Learn more at www.goldengatebridge75.org.

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