Joseph Strauss (engineer)
Joseph Baermann Strauss (January 9, 1870 – May 16, 1938) was a German-American structural engineer and designer.
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[edit] Life
He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to an artistic family of German origin, having a mother who was a pianist and a father who was a writer and painter.[1] He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1892, serving as both class poet and president. Strauss graduated with a degree in economics and business. Upon graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Strauss worked at the Office of Ralph Modjeski, where he began to innovate the design of bascule bridges. He was Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. He placed a brick from the demolished McMicken Hall at the University of Cincinnati in the south anchorage before the concrete was poured. Strauss was also designer of the Burnside Bridge (1926) and the Lewis and Clark Bridge (1930). He also wrote a poem saluting the Sequoia of Northern California and Southern Oregon. His love for bridges came from a hospital stay when he was in college. His room overlooked the Cincinnati-Covington bridge which sparked his interest in bridges. He died in Los Angeles, California, just one year after the Golden Gate's completion. His statue can be seen on the San Francisco side of the bridge.
As Chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, 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. Strauss was also 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.[2] In fact, Charles Alton Ellis was chiefly responsible for the structural design of the Golden Gate Bridge. Because of a dispute with Strauss, however, Ellis was not recognized for his work when the bridge opened in 1937.[3]
Strauss also worked with the Dominion Bridge Company in building the Cherry Street Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge in Toronto.
Strauss' father, Raphael Strauss (1830–1901), was a prominent painter, whose works included U.S. presidents. His pianist mother had an unfortunate accident which ultimately ended her concert career. Strauss' nephew, Ray Strauss (1907–1982), was a well-known, mid-century scarf designer in New York city.
In 1987, a major 50th anniversary celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge was held in San Francisco. Most recently, the Wall Street Journal published a March 17, 2007 article, "Spanning the Impossible," which commemorates Strauss' engineering marvel, in this its 70th year.
Joseph 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 an awe-inspiring poem "The Redwoods". His moving poem "Sequoia" can still be purchased by tourists visiting the California redwoods.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1] "Two of San Francisco's best-known landmarks were built by Germans: Joseph Strauss designed the 1937 Golden Gate Bridge, and Bernard Maybeck, son of a German immigrant, designed the Palace of Fine Arts."
- ^ "Maintenance and Operations"Golden Gate Bridge Research Library
- ^ American Experience | Golden Gate Bridge | People & Events | PBS
[edit] Further reading
- Strauss, Joseph B.,The Golden Gate Bridge Report of the Chief Engineer to the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District, San Francisco, CA: Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District, 1938
[edit] External links
- Joseph Baermann Strauss (1870-1938) information at Structurae
- The American Experience, PBS
- Biography by the ASCE (broken?)
- History and Heritage of Civil Engineering by the ASCE
- Joseph Strauss quotations
