The George Washington and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridges, both designed by O. Ammann, are hardly arcane objects, but they have a rich cultural history. The George Washington was left unclad – at first temporarily for budgetary concerns – only to become a symbol of modernism, the Verrazzano, at the time the world’s longest suspension bridge, needed its roadbed curved to follow the curvature of the earth. They changed engineering history, broke though myriad expectations and conventions, and continue to inspire me to do the same.