Building the Golden Gate Bridge: Story of an American Landmark: The story of building the Golden Gate Bridge is as compelling as its ultimate success. Undaunted by treacherous tides, high winds, and predictions that it could not be built, engineers designed the 1.2-mile long suspension bridge to wishtand powerful winds and a sway as great as 27.7 feet at mid-span. A core of creative engineers and a legion of men completed the bridge in 1937, after 4 years of construction. The Golden Gate Bridge, with its distinctive orange colour and Art Decio style, is recognized as a marvel of engineering and design.