6 Sydney Harbour Bridge designs that didn't make the final cut

Image credit: Instagram.com/silasbaisch

Sydney’s beloved Harbour Bridge could have looked very different. Before the classic ‘coat hanger’ design was chosen in 1924, scores of plans had been submitted to the government – including a swinging-around pontoon bridge, a three-pronged structure connecting the north, south and west shores and a floating bridge with questionable engineering. One applicant suggested simply filling in the harbour. He did not win the tender.

The winning Harbour Bridge design we know and love today was submitted by British engineering firm, Dorman Long & Co. Ltd. It’s the largest steel-arch bridge in the world, with a height of 134 metres and 53,000 tonnes of steel in its frame. But what would the city look like if one of the other proposals had been chosen? Graphic designers at Budget Direct created artistic interpretations of six rejected plans and had 1,000 people vote on which one they liked best – with the Harbour Bridge as we know it thrown in for good measure. Scroll down to see the designs ranked from worst to best.

Last place with 2.3 per cent of the vote: McClintic Marshall Products Company
The resumé of this American steel-fabricating firm reads like a bridge-based who’s who – they built the iconic orange arches of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, as well as the George Washington Bridge that connects New York’s Manhattan with New Jersey. So what on earth were they playing at with this cage that looks like its been sat on? Judges in Sydney said it didn’t “harmonise with its surroundings” and bid it farewell.

Second-last place with 3.1 per cent of the vote: David B Steinman & Holton D. Robinson
Look, it’s an improvement on the sat-upon cage. But not by much. The two American architects behind this design claimed it was an original because it fused a cantilever and suspension bridge. The judges said it “would not have a pleasing outline”. Both statements are true.

Third-last place with 6.1 per cent of the vote: P.E. Henderson
The world’s first bridge was a log dropped between two riverbanks by a caveman. This design pays homage to that. Sure, it’s a bridge, but in terms of imagination, it’s not much.

Fourth place with 7.3 per cent of the vote: F. Ernest Stowe
We’re getting into the good stuff now, because this one almost got made. Stowe’s three-way bridge would have linked Sydney’s north, south and west shores via a central Anzac Memorial tower on Goat Island (which would have been renamed Anzac Isle). A faster and cheaper solution to crossing the harbour than other plans submitted, Stowe’s design was only narrowly rejected by the government.

Third place with 9 per cent of the vote: Dorman Long & Co. Ltd (alternate design)
The company that would eventually win the tender and construct the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Dorman Long, actually submitted a few different designs in the lead-up to their masterpiece. Judges rejected this one, saying it was “simple and elegant, but aesthetically too severe for its setting.”

Second place with 10.4 per cent of the vote: Norman Selfe
This design, which doesn’t overshadow the beauty of the Opera House (though the Opera House didn’t exist when the Harbour Bridge was built), actually won. The authorities approved it, but then a change of government derailed the project. Norman Selfe’s bridge was never built, but the Sydney suburb of Normanhurst was named after the architect-engineer.

First place with 61.8 per cent of the vote: Dorman Long & Co. Ltd (winning design)
The people have spoken – the lion’s share of the vote went to the existing Sydney Harbour Bridge. May it be immortalised in souvenir postcards, fridge magnets and tea towels for many years to come.

Click Here: cheap kanken backpack