Charles Hermany (October 9, 1830 – January 18, 1908) was an engineer and architect.

Early life

Charles Hermany was born on October 9, 1830, in

Lynn Township, Pennsylvania Lynn Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is the largest township by area in Lehigh County and also the most rural and least densely populated township in the county. The population of Lynn Township was 4,229 at the 2010 cens ...

to Salome (née Wannemacher) and Samuel Hermany. He attended local schools and two terms at Minerva Seminary in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

. He attended college and then worked on his father's farm for three years. He studied mathematics and engineering while practicing land surveying in the field.

Career

In 1853, Hermany moved to

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

and accepted a position at the City Engineer's office. In 1857, he joined the

Louisville Water Company The Louisville Water Company is a water company based in Louisville, Kentucky. History The Louisville Water Company has been in operation since 1860. First known as "The Water Works", the company served water to 512 customers. Water delivery ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

as first assistant to the chief engineer. He assisted

Theodore Scowden Theodore Ransom Scowden (June 8, 1815, Pennsylvania – December 31, 1881, Cleveland, Ohio) was an engineer and architect. He designed the Louisville Water Tower with his assistant Charles Hermany. He also designed waterworks for Cleveland and Ci ...

in designing the Louisville Water Works buildings. He designed the Crescent Hill Water Plant. Hermany became the chief engineer and superintendent of the Louisville Water Company on January 1, 1861. He worked in that role for more than 25 years and designed water systems for

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. As of the 2 ...

and

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the prin ...

. His map of a park system for the

Salmagundi Club The Salmagundi Club, sometimes referred to as the Salmagundi Art Club, is a fine arts center founded in 1871 in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan, New York City. Since 1917, it has been located at 47 Fifth Avenue. , its membership roster ...

is said to have inspired

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

's work. Hermany was also involved in the design of the River Pumping Station for the Cincinnati Water Works. In 2009 the Louisville Water Company (LWC) celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Crescent Hill Filtration Plant. Their website notes, "the opening in 1909 culminated Chief Engineer Charles Hermany's quest for pure water. It marked 30 years of research that included building the Crescent Hill Reservoir and a landmark experiment to develop a purification process for drinking water." Hermany worked with

George Warren Fuller George Warren Fuller (December 21, 1868 – June 15, 1934) was an American sanitary engineer who was also trained in bacteriology and chemistry. His career extended from 1890 to 1934 and he was responsible for important innovations in water and ...

to complete the project. The designs have even been said to have influenced Frederick Law Olmsted who visited in 1891. A University of Kentucky student compared Hermany's work with that of

Marcus Agrippa Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law, and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. He was responsible for the construction of some of the most notable build ...

's in Imperial Rome. Hermany was elected as a member of the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

on January 6, 1869. He was elected in November 1879 to the member of the board. He was elected vice president in 1891 and as president in 1904. He was the first president of the Engineers' and Architects' Club of Louisville and served for six terms.

Personal life

Hermany married Sallie Adams on December 19, 1854. They had seven children, including Irene H., Emily H., Madeline and Hettie May. Hermany died on January 18, 1908, in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. He was buried in

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buria ...

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermany, Charles 1830 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American architects 19th-century American engineers American civil engineers Architects from Louisville, Kentucky Architects from Pennsylvania Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Engineers from Pennsylvania People from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Early life

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links