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Persons / Othmar Hermann Ammann (1879-1965)
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Created on: 29/12/98
Modified on: 29/03/09


Othmar Hermann Ammann

Swiss-American engineer and designer of the largest bridges of the city of New York.
Born on 26 March 1879
in Feuerthalen bei Schaffhausen, Zurich, Switzerland
Deceased on 22 September 1965
in Rye, Westchester County, New York, USA
Othmar H. Ammann
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There is a total of 2 images.
Student of Wilhelm Ritter
Associated with the following firms:

Formerly
 
Triborough Bridge Authority
Technical director 
Port of New York Authority
Founder 
Ammann & Whitney

Biography
1898 - 1902
Studies at the Federal Technological Institue in Zurich (Switzerland) under Wilhelm Ritter and others.
1904
Immigrates to the United States, works for Joseph Meyer, New York
1905
Assistant to the chief engineer of Pennsylvania Steel Co., cooperates on the design of the Queensboro Bridge, New York
1909 - 1912
Works for F.C. Kunz and C.C. Schneider in Philadelphia
1912
Works for Gustav Lindenthal and helps with the construction of the Hell Gate Bridge, and the Sciotoville Bridge, designs the George Washington Bridge
1925 - 1939
Director of Engineering at the Port of New York Authority
1932
Honorary Doctorate, New York University
1933
Chief engineer for the Triborough Bridge Authority under whose guidance are built: Triborough Bridge, Henry Hudson Bridge and Marine Parkway Bridge
1937
Honorary Doctorate, Pennsylvania Military Academy
1939
Opens his own engineering office
1941
Honorary Doctorate, Columbia University
1946
Teams up with Charles S. Whitney to form Ammann and Whitney

Participation in the following structures
Role, name of structure (year of completion)Structure part
Senior partner 
Throgs Neck Bridge (1961) 3
Verrazano Narrows Bridge (1964) 43
Walt Whitman Bridge (1957) 5
Chief engineer 
Bayonne Bridge (1931) 18
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (1939) 13
George Washington Bridge (1931) 28
Triborough Bridge (1936) 14
Bridge engineer 
Goethals Bridge (1928) 7
Outerbridge Crossing (1928) 8
Design 
Wards Island Bridge (1951) 4
Design consultant 
Delaware Memorial Bridge (1951)
Consulting engineers 
Golden Gate Bridge (1937) 274
Assistant to chief engineer 
Hell Gate Bridge (1916) 8
Intern 
Langenargen Suspension Bridge (1898) 8

Bibliography
* Ammann, O. H.   Die innerstaatlichen Brücken zwischen New York und New Jersey [Teil 1], in "Schweizerische Bauzeitung", 14 June 1930, n. 24 v. 95 .
* Ammann, O. H.   Die innerstaatlichen Brücken zwischen New York und New Jersey [Teil 2], in "Schweizerische Bauzeitung", 21 June 1930, n. 25 v. 95 .
* Ammann, Othmar H.   Additional Stiffening of Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, in "Civil Engineering Magazine", March 1946, n. 3 v. 16 .
* Ammann, Othmar H.   Advances in Bridge Construction, in "Civil Engineering Magazine", August 1933, n. 8 v. 3 .
* Ammann, Othmar H.   The Failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Federal Works Agency, Washington (USA) , 1941.
* Ammann, Othmar H.   General Conception and Development of Design, George Washington Bridge, in "Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers", 1933, n. 97 .
* Ammann, Othmar H.   The Hell Gate Arch Bridge and Approaches of the New York Connecting Railroad over th East River in New York City, in "Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers", 1918, n. 82 .
* Ammann, Othmar H.   Planning and Design of Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, in "Civil Engineering Magazine", April 1939, n. 4 v. 9 .
* Ammann, Othmar H.   Possibilities of the Modern Suspension Bridge for Moderate Spans, in "Engineering News Record", 21 June 1923 .
* Ammann, Othmar H.   Present Trends in Structural Design, in "Civil Engineering Magazine", January 1940, n. 1 v. 10 .

Relevant Web Sites
The following external links open in a new window. Structurae is not responsible for their content nor endorses it.
External LinkAmmann & Whitney English
External LinkASCE: History and heritage of civil engineering: Ammann English
External LinkBernd Nebel: Brückenbauer: Othmar Hermann Ammann German
External LinkiCivilEngineer: Othmar Herrmann Ammann English

Relevant Literature
* Fünf Schweizer Brückenbauer, Verein für Wirtschaftshistorische Studien, Zurich (Switzerland) , 1985.
* Billington, David P.   The Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy, Yale University Press, New Haven (USA) , ISBN 0300097867, 2003.
* Billington, David P.   History and Esthetics in Suspension Bridges, in "Journal of the Structural Division (ASCE)", August 1977 v. 103 .
* Billington, David P.   The Tower and the Bridge, Princeton University Press, Princeton (USA) , ISBN 069102393X, 1983; pp. 112-146.
* Billington, David P.   Wilhelm Ritter: Teacher of Maillart and Ammann, in "Journal of the Structural Division (ASCE)", May 1980 v. 106 .
* Doig, Jameson W.   Amman's First Bridge: A Study in Engineering, Politics and Entrepreneurial Behavior, in "Technology and Culture", July 1994, n. 3 v. 35 .
* Petroski, Henry   Engineers of Dreams, Vintage Books, New York (USA) , ISBN 0679730210, 1995; pp. 217-319.
* Picon, Antoine   L'art de l'ingénieur, Éditions du Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (France) , ISBN 2858509115, 1997; pp. 52-53.
* Rastorfer, Darl   Six Bridges, Yale University Press, New Haven (USA) , ISBN 0300080476, 2000.
* Ricken, Herbert   Der Bauingenieur, Verlag für Bauwesen, Berlin (Germany) , ISBN 3345002663, 1994; pp. 210.
* Russell, Lisa   Ammann's masterpieces reach 75, in "Bridge Design & Engineering", 4th Quarter 2006, n. 45 v. 12 .
* Stüssi, Fritz   Othmar Ammann, Birkhäuser, Basel (Switzerland) , 1974.

 
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