March 26, 1879 – Othmar Ammann, NYC bridge designer, is born
Othmar Ammann may not be a familiar name to most, but if you live in the greater NYC area, you've likely been affected by his engineering. Born in Switzerland on this day in 1879, Ammann went on to study engineering in Zurich. By 1904 he had moved to the United States. Not long after, he earned recognition in the field of bridge design engineering for his studies of collapsed bridges. By 1925 he found himself as bridge engineer for the Port of New York. While there he submitted a design for a bridge that would span the Hudson River, as did his mentor, Gustav Lindenthal. While Lindenthal's bridge called for 16 lanes that'd accommodate cars, trains and pedestrians, the port chose Ammann's less intricate design, primarily due to costs.
Above: A bust of Othmar Ammann. By Wheeler Willia...
