minnesota architecture - history inventory form · 2014-08-22 · minnesota architecture - history...

MINNESOTA ARCHITECTURE - HISTORY INVENTORY FORM

Fillmore, Fillmore County, Minnesota

Project: Local Historic Bridge Study - Phase II

Original Use Transportation

Current Use Transportation

Resource Type Structure

Architect/Engineer A. Y. Bayne and Company

Style No Style

Field #

Historic Name Bridge L4885

Current Name Bridge L4885

County Fillmore

City/Twp Fillmore

Property ID (PIN)

Sec 4Twp 103 Range 12

USGS Quad WASHINGTON

Legal Desc.

Description

Built in 1906, Bridge L4885, also known as the Bear Creek Bridge, is a single-span, steel Pratt through-truss bridge with a

single, rolled beam approach span. The structure is located approximately 1.4 miles northwest of the junction of Township

Road 354 and CSAH 8, in Fillmore Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota. The bridge is located within a rural area comprised

of woods and agricultural fields. The bridge, which is set at a slight northwest to southeast skew, carries Township Road 354,

also known as Nature Road, in a general west to east alignment over Bear Creek.

The bridge has an overall structural length of 118.3 feet and an overall deck width of 16.0 feet (MnDOT 2012). The

substructure consists of abutments and wingwalls at each end, and a concrete open pier between the two spans. The east

abutment is reinforced concrete with wingwalls that extend outward and downward from the bridge. The west abutment is

constructed of random coursed ashlar, limestone and has wingwalls that extend outward and downward from the bridge. The

embankments under the abutments are covered with packed earth and grasses. The open pier consists of two circular cast- in-

place concrete piles poured in steel caissons connected to each other by tubular steel sway-braces. The pile also supports a steel

cap (Evens and Miller 2010).

The two-span superstructure consists of a six-panel, pin-connected, steel Pratt pony truss main span and a steel rolled beam

approach span. The main span is 98.5 feet in length and the approach span is 19.8 feet in length. The approach span is located

to the east of the main span. The Pratt truss is bolted to the west abutment and the open pier. The Pratt truss main span is

constructed of riveted built-up members with pin-connections and has a maximum vertical clearance of 13.9 feet. The end posts

and top chord members consist of two built up channel sections with a continuous top cover plate and rectangular batten plates

along the lower flanges. The vertical posts consist of built-up steel channel sections with lattice bracing connecting the flanges.

The vertical posts adjacent to the end posts consist of steel round rods. Latticed lateral struts and diagonal sway bracing are pin

connected to the vertical posts and top chord. The portal struts consist of built-up angular members and are connected to portal

bracing. The top lateral bracing is located between the vertical members and struts and consists of round rod. The lower chord,

comprised of independent eye-bars with punched ends, is connected to the vertical posts and the floor beams by eye-bar pin

connections. Six floor beams are located transversely under the bridge and are suspended by U-bolts from the pin connections

with the vertical posts. Round rod bottom lateral bracing is located between the floor beams. The bridge has a 17 feet wide

wood plank deck, overlaid with a bituminous wearing course that is carried by eight stingers resting on the floor beams. The

outer stringers are channels while the inner stringers are I-beams. Two large wood beams have been installed parallel to the

stringers near the center of the deck. A timber wheel guard is located along the edges of the deck. The bridge has a bi-rail, angle

iron railing with vertical pots (MnDOT 2012; Martin 1987).

Description

Identification

Address N/A Nature Road (Twp. Road 354) over Bear Creek

SHPO Inventory Number FL-FLM-013

Review and Compliance Number

Construction Date 1906Zone 15N

Easting 557338 Northing 4844692

UTM

Form (New or Updated) Updated

Datum NAD83

QQ NWSW

Linear Feature? No

HPC Status: Unknown

FL-FLM-013




Bridge L4885 was constructed in 1906 by noted Minnesota bridge builder A. Y. Bayne & Company of Minneapolis, using

Carnegie steel. A plat map of Fillmore County from 1915 indicates that Bridge L4885 was located on a rural road, now known

as Township Road 354, leading southwest from the Village of Fillmore and then turning northwest to the location of Bridge

L4885 before turning to the west and ending in Spring Valley, Minnesota (Webb Publishing Company 1915). According to

1928 and 1956 plat maps, the alignment of the road has not changed (Webb Publishing Company 1928; Thomas O. Nelson

Company). The road still follows that same general alignment through Fillmore Township as it did in 1915, with only slight

changes to a few turns.

Very little documentation was found to record any changes to Bridge L4885 over time, which is not uncommon for many early

rural bridges. Based on an examination of the bridge, it appears that the east abutment and wingwalls were replaced at some

point in the early to mid-twentieth century, as they are of reinforced concrete that was poured with board forms, whereas the

west abutment is of stone construction. The wood deck is likely not original due to the nature of the material. A review of a

1962 photograph indicates that the superstructure is relatively unaltered since that time, other than the bituminous wearing

surface, which was placed on the structure in 1972 (MnDOT 2012). An informal bridge inspection report and photographs of

Bridge L4885 from 1981 indicate that one of the vertical posts was bent and damaged, perhaps struck by a vehicle. The

damaged vertical post was repaired sometime prior to 1987 (Fillmore County Highway Department 2014). In 1987, the bridge

was documented as part of a statewide survey of historic bridges and determined eligible for the National Register of Historic

Places (NRHP). The inventory form from this survey noted that there was a builder’s plate that read “A. Y. Bayne & Co. 1906

Minneapolis, Minn.” (Martin 1987). During inspection for the current survey, it was noted that the builder’s plate has been

removed from the bridge.

Due to deterioration and insufficient load capabilities, Fillmore County began planning the replacement of Bridge L4885 in

2009. The current replacement project plan includes constructing a new bridge adjacent to Bridge L4885 to carry Township

Road 354 and converting the old bridge into a pedestrian bridge. No repairs are planned for Bridge L4885 as part of the project

(Darrell Schmitt, Fillmore County Engineering Supervisor, personal communication with Katie Ohland, the 106 Group Ltd.,

February 13, 2014). Since Fillmore County was intending to use Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funds, as

administered by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), to pay for the project, it was subject to the

requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Section 106 (SHPO 2014). Therefore, early in the planning

process, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) was consulted. As part of the consultation, Bridge L4885

was reevaluated and determined still eligible for the NRHP (Letters in SHPO Review & Compliance file No. 2010-0028, Craig

Johnson, MnDOT Cultural Resources Unit [CRU] to Dennis A. Gimmestad, SHPO, October 30, 2009 and September 22, 2009;

Kelly Gragg-Johnson, SHPO to Craig Johnson, MnDOT CRU, October 16, 2009). The project is currently placed on hold

(Darrell Schmitt, Fillmore County, and Renee Barnes, MnDOT CRU, personal communication with Lisa Karlgaard, LHB,

February 27 and 28, 2014).

Alexander Y. Bayne

Bridge L4885 was built by Alexander Y. Bayne. Alexander Y. Bayne was one of the most prolific bridge builders in Minnesota

during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Little is known about Bayne’s early career. Between 1883 and 1884,

Bayne worked as an agent for the Minneapolis firm of Jones and Hewett, a short lived partnership between two of Minnesota’s

most prominent early bridge builders. After the dissolution of this partnership, C. P. Jones then went into business for himself,

founding the Jones Bridge Company, with Bayne following and serving as an agent for the company. After several years of

serving as an agent for C.P. Jones, Bayne briefly ran his own bridge building firm before becoming the manager of the bridge

department of the Gillette-Herzog Manufacturing Company in1890. He was with the company for ten years, until it merged

with 23 other companies to form the American Bridge Company. Incorporated on April 14, 1900, the American Bridge

EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS

Historical Narrative

Historical Context

Historic Iron and Steel Bridges in Minnesota, 1873-1945

FL-FLM-013




Integrity

Bridge L4885 remains in its original location as a crossing on Bear Creek in a rural area of Fillmore Township. Therefore, the

structure retains its integrity of location and setting. The registration requirements for steel bridges found in the “Iron and Steel

Bridges in Minnesota MPDF” state that the “superstructure is the most important feature of bridges in this property type” and

that “for a bridge in this property type to be eligible for the National Register, the superstructure itself must be in substantially

original condition, including the connections and the composition and configuration of individual composite members. Because

the superstructure is the most important feature of bridges in this property type, neither an original substructure nor an original

deck and guardrail system are necessary for the bridge to be eligible (although these original components may add to the

significance of the bridge)” (Quivik and Martin 1988:F-8). The superstructure appears to be relatively intact and unaltered,

except for the repairs made to a vertical post in 1981, which were done in-kind. As such, the superstructure retains its integrity

of design. The wood planks on the deck have likely been replaced in-kind due to the nature of the material and a bituminous

wearing surface was placed on the bridge in 1972. Both are consistent with normal maintenance and do not affect the integrity

of design, materials, and workmanship. Timber beams have also been added under the bridge. The timber beams are almost

completely hidden by the steel beams under the bridge and appear to be removable. Therefore, the timbers do not affect the

integrity of design, materials, and workmanship. The east abutment and wingwalls have been replaced with reinforced poured

concrete around or before the middle of the twentieth century. The alteration is compatible with the scale of the bridge, is

allowed by the registration requirements, and meets the requirement that replacement features “be of such scale and

composition that they do not overwhelm or otherwise detract from a clear visual impression of the iron or steel frame of the

superstructure and its function” (Quivik and Martin 1988:F-8). The superstructure remains in largely original condition. While

the bridge exhibits considerable deterioration, including corrosion and some section loss on the bridge floor beams, vertical and

Company was one of the largest and most important bridge fabricators in the United States during the twentieth century. J.P.

Morgan and Company organized the company through the acquisition and merging of 24 of the largest steel fabricators and

constructors in the United States. Independent for less than a year, American Bridge Company was acquired by United States

Steel (US Steel) on April 1, 1901, at which time it became a subsidiary of US Steel (Darnell 1984). Bayne remained with the

American Bridge Company for three years before he left to establish his own firm, A. Y. Bayne and Company, in 1903. Bayne

briefly partnered with William S. Hewett in 1907-1908 to construct the Soldiers’ Home Bridge in Minneapolis. For this project,

Hewett served as bridge engineer and Bayne as the construction superintendent. The Soldiers’ Home Bridge is the only

structure remaining from this short-lived collaboration. Bayne later formed the Minneapolis Bridge Company in 1914 (neither

of C.P. Jones earlier companies with a similar name existed by this time) (Quivik and Martin 1988:E10).

After founding his own company, A. Y. Bayne constructed many bridges throughout Minnesota, including several in Fillmore

County (Fillmore County Historical Society 2014). Other bridges built by Bayne include Bridge L4885 (Bear Creek Bridge,

1909), Bridge 7970 (Deer Creek Bridge, 1909), as well as several others in Fillmore County; Bridge L5391 (3rd Street North

Bridge, 1909) over the Cannon River in Cannon Falls, Goodhue County; and Bridge L-733 (Walcott Township Bridge, 1904)

over the Straight River in Rice County (Quivik and Martin 1988:E10). Bridges constructed by Bayne after he formed the new

Minneapolis Bridge Company in 1914 include: Bridge 3279 (Iberia Bridge, 1920) over the Cottonwood River in Brown

County: Bridge L4883 (Bear Creek Bridge, 1914) in Fillmore County; and Bridge 4588 (Wabasha Bridge, 1931) over the

Mississippi River in Ramsey County (Quivik and Martin 1988:E10).

Bridge L4885 was previously determined eligible for the NHRP in 1987, under Criterion C, in the area of Engineering, within

the historic context “Historic Iron and Steel Bridges in Minnesota, 1873-1945,” for its association with a significant bridge

builder Alexander Y. Bayne (Letters in SHPO Review & Compliance file No. 2010-0028, Craig Johnson, MnDOT CRU to

Dennis A. Gimmestad, SHPO, September 22, 2009; Kelly Gragg-Johnson, SHPO to Craig Johnson, MnDOT CRU, October 16,

2009). Bridge L4885 meets Registration Requirement 5 of the “Iron and Steel Bridges in Minnesota Multiple Property

Documentation Form (MPDF),” as a bridge “Built by an Important Minnesota Bridge Builder” as a bridge constructed by

Alexander Y. Bayne (Quivik and Martin 1988:F-7). According to the “Iron and Steel Bridges in Minnesota MPDF,” A. Y.

Bayne was one of the important Minnesota bridge builders (Quivik and Martin 1988:F-9). The bridge has a period of

significance of 1906, which corresponds with the year the bridge was constructed.

Significance

FL-FLM-013




diagonal members, stringers, chords, pinned connections and approach beams, this minimally impacts the integrity of material

as the vast majority of the historic fabric remains intact (Evens and Miller 2011). Similarly, failed mortar and some missing

stone at the west abutment; cracking at east abutment; deterioration at the piers; and several crack on the bituminous surface do

not impact the material integrity of the superstructure, which is the primary element from which the bridge derives its

significance. Therefore, Bridge L4885 retains sufficient integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, and

feeling to convey its significance as an early Pratt through-truss bridge, and as such, retains sufficient integrity to convey its

historic associations with Alexander Y. Bayne.

Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn

1912 History of Fillmore County, Minnesota. H.C. Cooper, JR. & Co. Chicago, Illinois.

Darnell, Victor C.

1984 A Directory of American Bridge-Building Companies 1840, 1900. Society for Industrial Archaeology Occasional

Publication No. 4. Society for Industrial Archaeology, Washington, DC.

Evens, Eric and Steven Miller

2011 Routine and Fracture Critical Bridge Inspection Report Bridge L4885. On file at the Fillmore County Highway

Department, Preston, Minnesota.

Fillmore County Highway Department

2014 Bridge L4885 File. Available at the Fillmore County Highway Department, Preston, Minnesota.

Fillmore County Historical Society

2014 A. Y. Bayne, Fillmore County Bridge File. On file at the Fillmore County Historical Society, Fountain, Minnesota.

Martin, Dale

1987 Statewide Bridge Survey Form, Bridge L4885. On file at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Minnesota Department of Transportation [MnDOT]

2012 Mn/DOT Structure Inventory Report Bridge L4885. One file at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul,

Minnesota.

Quivik, Fredric L. and Dale L. Martin

1988 National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form: Historic Iron and Steel Bridge in Minnesota,

1873-1945. Prepared by Renewable Technologies, Inc. On file at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.

State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)

2014 SHPO Compliance File 2010-0028. On file at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Thomas O. Nelson Company

1956 Atlas of Fillmore County, Minnesota. Thomas O. Nelson Company, Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Sources

Bridge L4885 has been previously determined individually eligible for the NRHP for its significance under Criterion C, in the

area of Engineering, within the historic context “Historic Iron and Steel Bridges in Minnesota, 1873-1945.” The bridge meets

Registration Requirement 5 of the “Iron and Steel Bridges in Minnesota MPDF,” as a bridge built by the important Minnesota

bridge builder Alexander Y. Bayne. The bridge retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance for its association

with A.Y. Bayne. Therefore, Bridge L4885 is recommended as eligible for the NRHP under Criterions C, in the area of

Engineering, within the historic context “Iron and Steel Bridges in Minnesota, 1873-1945.” The recommended period of

significance is 1906, which corresponds with the year in which the Pratt truss was built.

Recommendation

FL-FLM-013




Webb Publishing Company

1915 Atlas and Farm Directory with complete survey in Township plats of Fillmore County, Minnesota. Webb Publishing

Company, St. Paul, Minnesota.

1928 Atlas and farmer’s directory of Fillmore County, Minnesota. Webb Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Prepared By

Date Surveyed

10/15/2013

Eligible - Individual

Determined Eligible

The 106 Group Ltd.

National Register Status

Consultant's Recommendation of Eligibility

FL-FLM-013




1PhotoK:\MnDOT Bridge Stud Property Photograph

Facing N


Facing E

FL-FLM-013





Facing E


Facing NW

FL-FLM-013





Facing W


Facing N

FL-FLM-013





Facing W

FL-FLM-013

minnesota architecture - history inventory form · 2014-08-22 · minnesota architecture - history...

Documents