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Othmar H. Ammann by Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist

Othmar H. Ammann by Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist

Great Achievements notable structural engineers Othmar H. Ammann By Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist. M. ASCE, D. Eng., P.E., P.L.S.

mmann was born on March As a result of the Quebec failure, Kunz had received a contract 26, 1879, in Schaffhausen, and Ammann wrote a report confirming to design three bridges Switzerland, the home of the the safety of the and across the Willamette famous 18th century Grubenman its design. River. The Ross Awooden bridge. His family was of moderate Between 1909 and 1912, Ammann Bridge was a cantile- means with his father in manufacturing worked with the newly formed firm, Kunz ver, the Burnside and his mother in hat making. At an early & Schneider Consulting Engineers, in Bridge was a truss Othmar H. Ammann. age he showed an aptitude for mathematics , Pennsylvania. One of their bridge with bascule® and began studying for a civil major projects was an bridge across the span and the Sellwood Bridge a continuous degree at the Polytechnikum in Zürich, Reversing Falls at St. John, New Brunswick. truss. Each bridge was unique. Designed in Switzerland. He graduated in 1902. The In 1912, he was hired by 1922 to 1923, they were built between 1925 college, now named the Swiss Federal as his chief assistant on the design of the and 1926. Institute of Technology, was founded in . Lindenthal was In 1923, when Ammann returned to the 1854 and was one of the leading schools selected as ChiefCopyright Engineer for the New York office of Lindenthal, work was of science and engineering at that time. Connecting Railroad, which included the proceeding on the Bridge. He studied under Wilhelm Ritter who vis- , as well as Chief Engineer There were growing concerns that the ited the in 1893 to observe for a bridge across the Hudson River. The bridge was too large and the approaches engineering works and described them in Hell Gate Bridge was the longest span arch would take too much land and cost too his lectures. After graduating, Ammann bridge in the world at the time, and Ammann much. Lindenthal, however, was convinced worked on railroad layout and in 1903- was in charge of its design and construction, that a bridge of this size and at this location 04 he worked in Frankfurt, Germany on with David B. Steinman as his assistant. was absolutely necessary. Ammann went to reinforced concrete structures. In 1904, The threat of war in Switzerland resulted in Lindenthal suggesting that a smaller bridge Othmar came to the United States for Ammann returning to his homeland as an aimed primarily at automobiles and located what he thought would be a few years to Army Lieutenant in the summer of 1914. farther up the river would receive the nec- work on the major projects he had heard Lindenthalmagazine advanced Steinman to Ammann’s essary support from the city and states. about while in college. SHe fortunately T Rposition. TheU threatened C war didT not occur,U Lindenthal R accusedE Ammann of “timid- found a position with the Union Bridge and Ammann returned to his position and ity and shortsightedness”, and that he was Company under Charles Macdonald and Steinman was demoted. The shift resulted “looking ahead for 1,000 years.” On March his engineer Joseph Mayer. The company in a bitter rivalry between the two men until 23, 1923 Ammann left Lindenthal and set was building some of the major bridges in Ammann’s death. up his own office in . the country, such as Macdonald’s proposal Lindenthal proposed a bridge across the He worked primarily on his own design for a 2,400-foot span cantilever railroad Hudson River as early as 1885. Due to financ- for the Hudson River Bridge with no client bridge across the Hudson River. With men- ing and other concerns, it never got past a to pay the bills. It would be at 179th Street tors like Mayer and Macdonald, Ammann groundbreaking in 1895. In 1920 he, with between Fort Lee (New Jersey) and Fort quickly learned the U.S. methods of build- Ammann’s design help, proposed a huge bridge Washington (New York), have a span of ing bridges fast and inexpensively. He then at 57th Street for railroads, motor vehicles and 3,500 feet and carry eight lanes of auto- moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for a costing in excess of $100,000,000. mobile and truck traffic. It would be built short time to work with the Pennsylvania Financing was slow, and Lindenthal and for under $40,000,000. He first proposed Steel Company under Frederick Kunz. Then Ammann, with Steinman’s help, designed the his design at a meeting of the Connecticut Othmar worked with Gustav Lindenthal as Sciotoville Continuous across the Society of Civil Engineers on February 19, Consulting Engineer to the Department of . It was the longest span truss bridge 1924 and sent his plan to Governor Silzer Bridges in New York City. The Pennsylvania in the country at the time (1922). Lindenthal of New Jersey. Silzer sent Ammann’s draw- Steel Company was in the process of build- sent Ammann to Portland, Oregon where he ings and proposal to the press, including ing the Queensboro (Blackwell’s Island) The Engineering Record that published them Bridge at the time. Amman briefly returned with a small drawing and brief descrip- to Switzerland to marry Lilly Selma Wehrli tion in the January 3, 1924 issue. The and then returned to Harrisburg. He spent article mentioned the drawings were by a short time at McClintic/Marshall followed Ammann, and the bridge was estimated by a stint with Ralph Modjeski in to cost $30,000,000 and would connect working on bridges for the Oregon Trunk with the Washington Arch Bridge over Railroad, including a 340-foot span arch the River to provide “direct access bridge over the Columbia River. He assisted to Borough and to highways C. C. Schneider in writing a report on the leading to without enter- Hell Gate Bridge, Lindenthal and Ammann. collapse of the Quebec . ing New York’s intensive traffic area.” With

STRUCTURE magazine42 April 2013 STRUCTURE magazine the support of New Jersey and New York, until 1951. This was followed by a survey of Ammann’s design was accepted and placed the in 1941. He reported under the Port Authority of New York the bridge was in excellent condition. He with Ammann designated as Chief Bridge was appointed chairman of a three man Engineer for the Authority. The bridge was commission, with Theodore VanKarman built between 1927 and 1931, and opened and Glenn Woodruff, to report on the October 24, 1931. failure of the Tacoma Narrows Suspension At the same time he was designing the bridge, designed by Leon Moisseff, which fell George , Ammann was November 7, 1940 shortly after it opened. also designing the Bayonne Arch Bridge They found the long slender deck, designed over the leading to Staten using the deflection theory, was suscepti- Island. It was then the longest span arch ble to aerodynamic forces that led to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. bridge in the world (1,652 feet). He also supervised construction of two bridges across the , the Goethals and Outerbridge, both of which were designed ® by J. A. L. Waddell. In 1923, Othmar was appointed Chief Engineer of the Authority under the legendary Robert Moses. Moses planned a major project consisting of a 1,380-foot span suspen- Copyright sion bridge over the , 1,600 feet of truss bridge, a 770-foot long lift bridge and 3½ miles of viaduct. The project was built between 1934 and 1936. This was followed by the Bronx- Whitestone Bridge. It was a 2,300-foot span and opened in

1939 in time for the New York Worlds visit www.STRUCTUREmag.orgADVERTISEMENT Information, - For Advertiser Fair. While designing these bridges, Ammann maintained his position with the New York Port Authority. At the magazine same time, he was one ofS the consul- T R U C T U R E tants to Joseph B. Strauss on the design and construction of the in . Strauss also consulted with Ammann on his George Washington and Bayonne Bridges. The Golden Gate Bridge, with its 4,200-foot span, surpassed the by 700 feet to become the lon- gest suspension bridge in the world at the time. It opened in 1937. He also consulted with one of his early men- tors, Ralph Modjeski, on his Benjamin Franklin (originally the Delaware River) Suspension Bridge across the Delaware River that opened up July 1, 1926. Its 1,750 foot span was the longest in the United States at the time. In 1939, Ammann resigned from the Port Authority and set up a partnership with C. C. Combs, a well-known land- scape architect. Highway work made up most of their efforts in the first years. Their first bridge work was a pedestrian lift bridge to Ward’s Island in the East River. Ammann called this his “Little Green Bridge”. It had a lift span of 312 feet. Due to financing, it did not open

April 2013 STRUCTURE magazine43 April 2013 ®

George Washington Bridge 1931 to Present, Single deck shown. Copyright observed oscillation. With this information, commission rejected a tunnel but determined Ammann stiffened his Bronx-Whitestone a bridge was feasible. The earlier design by with calling him “one Bridge in 1946. Modjeski and Masters was rejected, and a of the great bridge builders of this century.” In 1947, the partnership of Ammann and new design was sought. Initially Ammann He had won many accolades over the years, Combs came to an end, and Ammann formed was selected by the Board, but his fee was but his most significant was the National a new company, Ammann & Whitney considered excessive and the contract was Medal of Science granted him by President Consulting Engineers. Whitney was a well given to Steinman. Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He was the first known expert on reinforced concrete. Much The culmination of his bridge career came to be honored in this way; of their work came from Ammann’s New when he was selected to design the Verrazano he was awarded the honor under the clas- York contacts. In 1956, Moses hired Bridge between Brooklyn and Staten sification of Behavioral and Social Sciences. firm to design the Throgs Neck suspension Island. David B. Steinman also planned a magazineHis citation stated, “For a half century of bridge across the East River. The span was bridge he called the Liberty Bridge at the site S T R U C T Udistinguished R Eleadership in the design of 1,800 feet, and it opened January 11, 1964. as early as 1926. Ammann started his design great bridges which combine beauty and In 1957, Othmar was called back to his first in 1948. Due to financing, he did not start utility with bold engineering concept and bridge, the George Washington, to add the work until the mid 1950s. The span of the method...” Edward Cohen, a long time lower deck that he had provided for back in bridge would be 4,260 feet, surpassing the associate with Ammann & Whitney, wrote, the late 1920s. It was added between 1958 Golden Gate Bridge by 60 feet. Its upper deck “The outstanding characteristic of Ammann’s and 1961, without stopping traffic on the opened November 24, 1961 and its lower design is simplicity; he was the enemy of the original bridge. He was asked to serve on a deck June 28, 1968. When the Verrazano ornate, the complicated, the extravagant, panel of engineers in 1947, with his long Narrows Bridge opened, Ammann was 80 the ponderous.” time competitor David Steinman, on the years old. At its dedication, the Mayor of His image lives on in a bronze bust that Mackinac Bridge connecting the upper and the City stated the bridge was “a structure of was unveiled in the George Washington lower peninsulas of Michigan. In 1951, the breathtaking beauty and super engineering.” Bridge Station in 1962, coinciding with Throughout his career, Ammann had as a the dedication of its lower level. It is passed guiding philosophy, “Economics and util- by thousands every day, but few know the Foundation Performance ity are not the engineers only concerns. He story of the man behind Six Bridges of New Association must temper his practicality with aesthetic York City.▪ sensitivity. His structures should please the eye. In fact, an engineer designing a hosts regular events, sponsors FPA bridge is justified in making a more expen- Dr. Griggs specializes in the restoration the publication of technical papers and sive design for beauty’s sake alone. After of historic bridges, having restored many all, many people will have to look at the research material. The presentations 19th Century cast and wrought iron bridge for the rest of their lives. Few of us bridges. He was formerly Director of are great for networking and low cost appreciate eyesores, even if we should save Historic Bridge Programs for Clough, a little money in building them.” The story CEU’s. Membership is $96/yr; this can Harbour & Associates LLP in Albany, of Ammann and his New York Bridges is NY, and is now an independent equate to CEU’s as little as $8/CEU. told in Six Bridges, The Legacy of Othmar Consulting Engineer. Dr. Griggs can be H. Ammann by Darl Rastorfer. Ammann www.foundationperformance.org reached at [email protected]. ADVERTISEMENT - For Advertiser ADVERTISEMENT Information, visit www.STRUCTUREmag.org died September 23, 1965 at the age of 86

STRUCTURE magazine44 April 2013

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