Ammann, Othmar

views updated May 23 2018

Ammann, Othmar (1879–1965). Swiss-born engineer, who settled in the United States in 1904, and over 35 years designed bridges in the N. Y. area. In 1925 he joined the Port of New York Authority for which he designed the Bayonne Bridge (opened in 1931) as a graceful parabolic two-hinged steel-arch structure, which made his name. In the same year his George Washington Bridge was opened, with twice the span of any then existing suspension-bridge, and steel-framed towers suggesting vestigial Classicism. His elegant Bronx-Whitestone Suspension Bridge was the first to use shallow plate-girders as stiffeners instead of the more usual deep trusses. In 1946 he formed a partnership with Charles Whitney, establishing one of the leading engineering firms in the world. His majestic Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, NYC (completed 1964), was even longer than his earlier structures.

Bibliography

Billington (1983);
Rastorfer (2000);
Stüssi (1974)