Joseph Baermann Strauss (January 9, 1870 – May 16, 1938) was an American
structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of safety, technical, economic ...
who revolutionized the design of
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
s. He was the chief engineer of the
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...
, a suspension bridge.
Life, beginnings and death
He was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio
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 ...
, to an artistic family of
German-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
ancestry. His mother was a pianist, and his father, Raphael Strauss, was a writer and painter. He graduated from the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
in 1892 with a degree in civil engineering. He served as both class poet and president, and was a brother of the
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...
fraternity.
Strauss had many hobbies. One of these included poetry. After completion of the Golden Gate Bridge he returned to his passion of poetry and wrote his most recognizable poem "The Mighty Task is Done". He also wrote "The Redwoods", and his "Sequoia" can still be purchased by tourists visiting the California redwoods.
He died in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, just one year after the Golden Gate's completion. His statue can be seen on the San Francisco side of the bridge. He is interred at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park in
Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''.
It may refer to:
Places Australia
* Glendale, New South Wales
** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre
*Glendale, Queensland, ...
.
Early career and the bascule bridge
Strauss was hospitalized while in college and his hospital room overlooked the
John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge
The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge (formerly the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge) is a suspension bridge that spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. When opened on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension ...
. This sparked his interest in bridges. Upon graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Strauss worked at the Office of
Ralph Modjeski
Ralph Modjeski (born Rudolf Modrzejewski; January 27, 1861 – June 26, 1940) was a Polish-American civil engineer who achieved prominence as "America's greatest bridge builder."
Life
He was born in Bochnia, called Galicia at the time, on Janua ...
, a firm which specialized in building bridges. At that time,
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
s were built with expensive iron counterweights. He proposed using cheaper concrete counterweights in place of iron. When his ideas were rejected, he left the firm and started his own firm, the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company of Chicago, where he revolutionized the design of bascule bridges.
Bridge designs
Strauss was the designer of the
Burnside Bridge
The Burnside Bridge is a 1926-built bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, carrying Burnside Street. It is the second bridge at the same site to carry that name. It was added to the National Register of ...
(1926) in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, and the
Lewis and Clark Bridge (1930) over the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
between
Longview, Washington
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...
, and
Rainier, Oregon
Rainier is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The city's population was 1,895 at the 2010 census. Rainier is on the south bank of the Columbia River across from Kelso and Longview, Washington.
History
Rainier was founded in 1851 ...
. Strauss also worked with the
Dominion Bridge Company
Dominion Bridge Company Limited was a Canadian steel bridge constructor originally based in Lachine, Quebec. From the core business of steel bridge component fabrication, the company diversified into related areas such as the fabrication of holdin ...
in building the
Cherry Street Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge
The Cherry Street Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge is a bascule bridge and Warren truss in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the industrial Port Lands area, it carries Cherry Street over the Toronto Harbour Ship Channel and opens to allow ship ...
(1931) in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. In 1912 he designed the HB&T Railway bascule bridge over
Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving body of water which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately east through the Houston Ship ...
in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
(now hidden under an
Interstate 69
Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at ...
bridge in the shadow of downtown Houston). His design was also exported to
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
where
Skansen Bridge
The Skansen Bridge ( no, Skansen jernbanebro) is a 52-meter span bascule railway bridge located at Skansen in Trondheim, Norway.
History
The bridge was opened on March 22, 1918, allowing trains on the Dovre Line access to Trondheim Central S ...
(1918) is still in daily use.
But the Strauss bridge design was also copied and used in other places in Europe. Two bridges are still in daily use in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
- the railwaybridges over
Trollhätte canal
The Trollhätte Canal ( sv, Trollhätte kanal) is a canal in Sweden. Trollhätte Canal connects the Göta river with the lake Vänern. The canal was opened in 1800. In 2004, the canal was proclaimed a national monument.
The Trollhätte Canal and ...
, in
Vänersborg
Vänersborg () is a locality and the seat of Vänersborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 23,882 inhabitants (out of a municipal total of 39,591) Until 1997 it was the capital of Älvsborg County, which was dissolved in 1998. Sin ...
and
Danviksbron
Danviksbron or, alternatively, Danviksbro ("Danvik Bridge") is a bascule bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden, connecting the eastern end of Södermalm to the eastern municipality Nacka. Under the bridge, the canal Hammarbykanalen carries the wa ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
. In
Sête,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, over
Canal du Midi
The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...
, another copy of Strauss designed bridges is to be found.
Golden Gate Bridge
As Chief engineer of the
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...
in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, Strauss overcame many problems. He had to find funding and support for the bridge from the citizens and the U.S. military. There were also innovations in the way the bridge was constructed. It had to span one of the greatest distances ever spanned, reach heights that hadn't been seen in a bridge, and hold up to the forces of the ocean. He placed a brick from the demolished McMicken Hall at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, in the south anchorage before the concrete was poured.
Strauss was concerned with the safety of his workers. He required that a net be installed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge during construction. This net saved a total of 19 lives.
Strauss is credited as the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, but
Charles Alton Ellis
Charles Alton Ellis (18761949) was a professor, structural engineer and mathematician who was chiefly responsible for the structural design of the Golden Gate Bridge. Because of a dispute with Joseph Strauss, he was not recognized for his work wh ...
is responsible for most of the structural design. Because of a dispute with Strauss, however, Ellis was not recognized for his work when the bridge opened in 1937.
A plaque honoring Ellis was installed on the south tower in 2012, to acknowledge his contributions.
Other works
*
FEC Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge (Jacksonville, Florida)
*
Isleton Bridge
Isleton Bridge is a historic bascule bridge carrying California State Route 160 across the Sacramento River north of Isleton, California, built in 1923. There are two concrete tied arch spans, each long, to the east of the main bascule span, whi ...
*
Johnson Street Bridge
Four known bridges have spanned the narrows between the Inner Harbour and Upper Harbour of Victoria, British Columbia, connecting Johnson Street on the east shore with Esquimalt Road on the west shore. The current bridge is Canada's largest sin ...
*
Kinzie Street railroad bridge
The Chicago and North Western Railway's Kinzie Street railroad bridge (also known as the Carroll Avenue bridge or the Chicago and North Western Railroad Bridge) is a single leaf bascule bridge across the north branch of the Chicago River in dow ...
*
Mystic River Bascule Bridge
The Mystic River Bascule Bridge is a bascule bridge spanning the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut in the United States. It carries vehicle and foot traffic directly into the tourist district of town via Main Street (U.S. Route 1).
History
T ...
*
St. Charles Air Line Bridge
The St. Charles Air Line Bridge is a Strauss Trunnion bascule bridge which spans the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois.
Built as part of the St. Charles Air Line Railroad by the American Bridge Company in 1919, the bridge originally had a span ...
*
Lewis and Clark Bridge (Columbia River)
*
Thames River Bridge (Amtrak)
Amtrak's Thames River Bridge spans from New London to Groton, Connecticut, United States, crossing Connecticut's Thames River.
Design and history
The bridge was originally a Strauss heel-trunnion Warren through-truss bascule design, built in ...
*
Outer Drive Bridge
The Outer Drive Bridge, also known as the Link Bridge, is a double-deck bascule bridge carrying Lake Shore Drive across the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Construction was started in 1929 and was completed in 1937 as one of th ...
*
HX Draw
The HX Draw is a bascule bridge carrying the New Jersey Transit Bergen County Line and Pascack Valley Line across the Hackensack River between Secaucus, New Jersey and East Rutherford. The bridge is also known as The Jack-Knife because of its un ...
*
Lefty O'Doul Bridge
The Lefty O'Doul Bridge (also known as the Third Street Bridge or China Basin Bridge) is a bascule bridge connecting the Neighborhoods in San Francisco#China Basin, China Basin and Mission Bay, San Francisco, Mission Bay neighborhoods of San Fra ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Biography: Joseph Strauss The American Experience,
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
Joseph Strauss quotationsJoseph B. Straus online exhibitionby Dr. Dorothy Byers, University of Cincinnati Libraries
Joseph Strauss Bridge Planshoused at Stanford Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, Joseph
1870 births
1938 deaths
People from Cincinnati
American bridge engineers
American civil engineers
19th-century American engineers
20th-century American engineers
Structural engineers
History of San Francisco
People from San Francisco
American people of German-Jewish descent
University of Cincinnati alumni
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Engineers from California
Engineers from Ohio