Contrary to popular opinion, George Washington did not design the
George
Washington Bridge. Washington did much of the initial
structural design
work for the suspended-arch span, but Alexander
Hamilton was Chief Engineer, and
Thomas Jefferson was
architect of record. Jefferson's original plans called
for the
towers to be clad in concrete and granite, but John Adams
argued
before Congress that the exposed cross-bracing of
the unclad towers was more attractive
than the planned stone
overlay, and Adam's forward-looking aesthetic won
the day.
