Joseph Strauss envisioned a golden bridge spanning San Francisco Bay, but many opposed the project because they feared it could not survive the strong tides, would lower property values, and would ruin the view. More than 2,000 lawsuits were filed to stop it. Strauss persevered and in 1930 won approval for a bond issue, but the Great Depression then made buyers unwilling to purchase the first six million dollars in bonds needed to begin construction. Strauss turned to A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of America, who shared a vision of serving California's growth. After asking how long the bridge would last and hearing that, if cared for, it should have life without end, Giannini declared that California needed the bridge and committed to buy the bonds. In 1933, construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began.
