William S. Hewett was a major bridge contractor in the Minneapolis area from the 1890s until well into the 20th century. His firm designed and built a number of bridges for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company when it was electrifying and expanding its system around the turn of the 20th century.

Reinforced concrete bridges

Bridges built by Hewett's firm used included some of the earliest

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

bridges built using the Melan system invented by

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

engineer

Josef Melan Josef Melan (1854–1941) was an Austrian engineer. He is regarded as one of the most important pioneers of reinforced concrete bridge-building at the end of the 19th century. Josef Melan is credited as the inventor of the ''Melan System'', a me ...

and patented in the United States in 1894. Hewett probably became familiar with the Melan system when working with his uncle's construction firm in northwest

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. Hewett's firm also designed

Bridges No. L-5853 and 92247 Bridges No. L-5853 and 92247 are two side-by-side bridges in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. They were built in 1904 over the Como-Harriet streetcar line, connecting the nearby Twin City Rapid Transit Company station to the line running wes ...

Como Park The Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (or just Como Zoo and Conservatory) are located in Como Park at 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The park, zoo and conservatory are owned by the City of Saint Paul and are a divisio ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. These two bridges also crossed the Twin City Rapid Transit line. Hewett performed other pioneering work with

and

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-tensioned concreted i ...

. In 1907, he formed the Security Bridge Company, and he established Hewett Systems in 1913. Hewett also built the reinforced concrete Washburn Water Tower in Minneapolis.

Other bridges

Other bridges built by Hewett include: * Bridge No. 1482, Luverne, Minnesota (1908) *

Colton's Crossing Bridge The Colton's Crossing Bridge, in Ransom County, North Dakota near Lisbon, North Dakota, also known as Sheyenne River Bridge, was built in 1907. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1997. According to its NRHP nomin ...

, Lisbon, North Dakota (1907) * Forsyth Bridge,

Forsyth, Montana Forsyth is a city in and the county seat of Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,647 at the 2020 census. Forsyth was established in 1876 as the first settlement on the Yellowstone River, and in 1882 residents named the t ...

(1905) *

Interlachen Bridge The Interlachen Bridge is a reinforced concrete arch bridge on William Berry Parkway between Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bridge crosses the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line, a heritage streetcar line operated by the ...

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

(1900) *

Joliet Bridge The Joliet Bridge, in Carbon County, Montana, near Joliet, is a Pratt through truss bridge built in 1901. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It is a multiple-span road bridge. The main span is a pin-connected steel ...

Joliet, Montana Joliet is a town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 577 at the 2020 census. History The construction of the Rocky Fork & Cooke City Railway in 1892 mad ...

(1901) * Melan Bridge, Rock Ridge, Iowa (1893) * Old Yankton Bridge, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1895) * South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 25-380-142,

Zell, South Dakota Zell is an unincorporated community in Faulk County, South Dakota, United States, astride U.S. Route 212. It was once a stop on the old Chicago and North Western Railway. History A post office called Zell has been in operation since 1885. Zell wa ...

(1902) * Walnut Street Bridge, Mazeppa, Minnesota (1904)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewett, William American bridge engineers American construction businesspeople Concrete pioneers Businesspeople from Minneapolis Year of death missing Year of birth missing People from Knox County, Maine