White Bridge, Spanning Crum Elbow Creek, Hyde Park, Dutchess County, NY

Significance: The White Bridge is one of the first Melan arch bridges built in the United States, and as such is an example of one of the first reinforced-concrete bridge systems introduced in the U.S. in the late nineteenth century. Part of a continuum of masonry, concrete, and then reinforced concrete arch bridges, the development by the Viennese engineer Josef Melan of the Melan arch led to a new flexibility in design. The combination of a concrete arch, reinforced with metal I-beams, was a cheap yet durable method of bridge construction. By 1894, there was a U.S. patent for the Melan arch, the technique of which was disseminated by Fritz von Emperger. The aesthetic qualities of the Melan arch system can be seen in the White Bridge as well, with its elegant arch, ornamented balustrade, and recessed panels accenting the approach to the Vanderbilt mansion.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N907

Survey number: HAER NY-318

Building/structure dates: 1897 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1961 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1963 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1973 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1996 Subsequent Work

concrete arch bridges civil engineering transportation hyde park dutchess county ny bridge white bridge crum elbow crum elbow creek hyde hyde park dutchess county new york robert atkinson justine christianson clarke rapuano incorporated gertrude s cooper james e crawford todd croteau dewitt greer david haas historic american engineering record joseph a mccollum incorporated george kreier mead and white mckim melan arch construction company josef melan jean monier vj costanzi incorporated fritz von emperger wt hiscox and company kelly young photo ultra high resolution high resolution ornament library of congress

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html