Installed in 1937. Removed in 1993. Reimagined in San Francisco.
The steel in our work once lined the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge. Discover how this piece of American history became jewelry, gifts, art and furniture handcrafted by Golden Gate Furniture Co.
Archival footage from the bridge’s construction shows the pedestrian railing being installed, marking the beginning of the material’s long life above the Golden Gate.
The steel used in our work was part of the bridge’s original pedestrian handrail. Milled by Bethlehem Steel Company in Pennsylvania, it was installed during construction and remained on the bridge from 1937 until replacement in 1993.
For 56 years, this handrail bordered the pedestrian walkway. Its surface, seams, fasteners and markings are part of the material’s history.
Look closely at the railing on the bridge. This short video shows the difference between the rounded rivets and later hex-head bolts.
These photographs document the 1993 handrail replacement as it happened.
In 1993, when I learned that the Golden Gate Bridge’s original pedestrian handrail was being removed, I bought a 12½-foot section weighing roughly 1,000 pounds. I wasn’t starting a business. I wanted a piece of the bridge for myself.
I cut a 115-pound section from that rail and made it into a headboard. Friends saw it and asked for headboards of their own, so I made additional headboards in response to those requests. I went on to purchase the remaining handrail steel that was available and founded Golden Gate Furniture Co. in 1994.
Today, we transform the original handrail steel in our San Francisco metal studio. Each piece is cut, shaped and finished individually, preserving a connection to the bridge’s history.
What began with furniture has grown into jewelry, accessories, bookends, paperweights and wall art. Golden Gate Design carries that story into pieces you can wear, give or keep close.
Whether you already own a piece or are discovering our work for the first time, you’re part of the next chapter.
Yes. The historic steel we use comes from the bridge’s original pedestrian handrail, installed in 1937 and removed during the 1993 replacement. Rick Bulan purchased the available surplus handrail from the contractor.
The pedestrian handrail—the railing alongside the walkway. Our historic material is handrail steel, rather than steel from the bridge’s towers or main suspension cables.
We work the historic steel in our San Francisco metal studio. Golden Gate Furniture Co. creates furniture, art, jewelry, gifts and accessories from this material.
Yes. We work from the finite supply of original handrail steel acquired after the 1993 replacement. Every piece gives some of that historic material a new life.
The lead-based paint was removed in the 1980s, before the handrail was taken off the bridge in 1993. Rick Bulan received documentation from the Golden Gate Bridge District confirming that the material he purchased was lead-free.
We use the exact same paint used on the Golden Gate Bridge, drawn from paint lots mixed specifically for the Bridge District in its distinctive International Orange.
It’s an industrial, high-performance acrylic gloss coating that cures under ambient conditions. Its fast-drying formula provides humidity, corrosion and early rust resistance, properties that help protect the bridge’s steel in the damp, salt-laden air of the Golden Gate. The connection to the bridge extends from the historic steel to the protective finish itself.
We work with a finite supply of original Golden Gate Bridge handrail steel installed in 1937 and removed in 1993. There will come a time when that stock is exhausted. When asked what happens then, Rick Bulan likes to say, “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Explore our collection online or visit Made in San Francisco, our gallery at 91 Jefferson Street in Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco.
Explore jewelry, gifts, art and furniture made from original bridge steel.
Explore the collectionVisit our San Francisco galleryMade in San Francisco · 91 Jefferson Street · Fisherman’s Wharf
