minnesota architecture - history inventory form

Oronoco, Olmsted County, Minnesota

Project: Local Historic Bridge Study - Phase II

MINNESOTA ARCHITECTURE - HISTORY INVENTORY FORM

Original Use Transportation

Current Use Transportation

Resource Type Structure

Architect/Engineer N. M. Stark & Co.

Style No Style

Field #

Historic Name Bridge 448 / Oronoco Bridge

Current Name Bridge 448 / Oronoco Bridge

County Olmsted

City/Twp Oronoco

Property ID (PIN)

Sec 17Twp 108 Range 14

USGS Quad ORONOCO

Legal Desc.

Description

Bridge 448, also known as the Oronoco Bridge, is a single-span, reinforced concrete, open-spandrel, arch bridge with two

concrete girder approach spans, located in Oronoco, Olmsted County, Minnesota. The bridge has an overall structural length of

approximately 296 feet and an overall width of 49 feet. Aligned in a north-south orientation, the bridge carries two-lane,

County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 18 (also known as Minnesota Avenue) over the Middle Fork of the Zumbro River. The

steep banks of the river are lined with stone, trees, and grass. The dam was constructed in the 1930s as part of a federal work

relief effort. A concrete dam is located just west (upstream) of the bridge. It is not historically associated with Bridge 448.

The superstructure of the bridge consists of three spans, a concrete arch main span with a concrete girder approach span on

either side. The main span is made of reinforced-concrete open-spandrel, parallel, fixed rib-arches that are 208 feet in length

and 51 feet in height, with 16 open spandrel columns of varying lengths that carry the deck. Extended floorbeams span the

entire width of the deck. The two approach spans are prestressed concrete girders. The north approach span is 55 feet in length

and the south approach span is 31 feet in length. The north approach span has five concrete girders and the south span has four

girders, with steel C-channel diaphragms between the concrete girders, set perpendicular to the deck. The 49-foot-wide deck is

cast-in-place concrete. An approximately 6-foot-wide concrete sidewalk is located on the east side of the bridge deck. Two

modern light posts are also located along the east side of the deck, at the middle of each approach span. The light posts rest on

concrete brackets that rest on floorbeam extensions. Steel and concrete guardrails line the bridge deck. The guardrails have

vertical steel posts and tubular steel, bi-rail design, and are attached to concrete wheel guards. A steel bi-rail guardrail is

located on the east side of the north approach span.

The substructure of Bridge 448 consists of reinforced-concrete abutments and angled wingwalls that extend back from the

bridge deck on either end of the approaches. There are also two reinforced-concrete piers comprised of cap beams with

rectangular columns at the ends of the main span. The bridge is built into the stone banks of the river. A limestone retaining

wall is located west of the south pier while a concrete retaining wall, placed in 2006, is located on the east side of the south

pier. The embankments under the approach span consist of stone riprap.

A previous survey of Bridge 448 indicated that there was a bridge plate on the railing which stated, “Built for state and county

by N. M. Stark & Co., Des Moines, Iowa 1918, J. T. Ellison- state bridge engineer, Geo. Smith - county engineer, Co.

Commissioners: Lecque (chr.), Loos, Herrick, Britzius” (Frame 1979). This plate has been removed.

The bridge was rehabilitated and widened in 1987, and the current bridge plate, located on the south end of the bridge on the

east side, reads “Olmsted County Minnesota Bridge 448 1987.” During the 1987 rehabilitation, deck width was increased from

Description

Identification

Address N/A CSAH 18 over Zumbro River

SHPO Inventory Number OL-ORC-001

Review and Compliance Number

Construction Date 1918Zone 15N

Easting 537201 Northing 4889996

UTM

Form (New or Updated) Updated

Datum NAD83

QQ SWNW

Linear Feature? No

HPC Status: Unknown

OL-ORC-001




20 to 40 feet and the pedestrian walkway was replaced with a wider walk. While the two parallel arch ribs were not altered, the

Classical Revival railing and piers caps were replaced with simpler, more utilitarian designs. The spandrel columns were

replaced with new “T” columns that carried the wider roadway. The replacement columns are more utilitarian in design and

without the segmental aches between each column and its decorative column caps. The new spandrel columns are more closely

spaced than the original design. The original multi-span deck girder approaches at the north end of the bridge were replaced

with a single beam span. The deck was also replaced.

In 1918, the Olmsted County Commissioners determined that the 1876 Warren Truss bridge over the Zumbro River, which was

designed by H.E. Horton, was no longer safe (Rochester Daily Post and Record 1918a; Olmsted County Historical Society

2014). The County received proposed designs from six different engineers for the bridge replacement. Seventeen construction

contractors then chose one of the six plans for which to submit a proposal to the County for construction. Bids were accepted

beginning on March 15, 1918 (Rochester Daily Post and Record 1918a). After reviewing the proposals, on March 27th, 1918,

the County Commission awarded the construction contract to the N.M. Stark & Co. of Des Moines, Iowa, for a single-arch

reinforced concrete bridge for a price of $34,875. The new crossing, Bridge 448, was constructed between April and December

1918 (Rochester Daily Post and Record 1918c; SHPO 2014). As constructed, the bridge was 280 feet long with a 208-foot-

long main span arch. The bridge had a 51 foot sheer rise above the main water level and the arch rose 36 feet 3/4 inches above

the spring line of water. It required 125,000 pounds of steel and 1,475 yards of concrete to construct (Rochester Daily Post and

Record 1918c). Upon its completion, the bridge formed “a noble gateway to the main highway of Oronoco village” (Rochester

Daily Bulletin 1918).

The early twentieth century was a time of experimentation in reinforced-concrete bridge design (Frame 1988: E13). According

to the “Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota, 1890-1945” Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF), “the

dramatic focus of the years between the wars was on specular monumental structures that extended the size and range of earlier

designs.” Included in experimentation work was the construction of open-spandrel concrete arches. The Minnesota Highway

Commission (later Minnesota Highway Department) constructed a number of open-spandrel arches, primarily in the Twin

Cities metro area. Open-spandrel arches were largely constructed in the 1920s, though a few early examples, such as Bridge

448, represent the earliest experimentation efforts by the state and local-government agencies. Often, these bridges featured

decorative railing and spandrel columns with decorative capitals and arched openings, typical of the early twentieth-century

bridge design.

While the bridge contract and plans list N.M. Stark & Co. as the bridge designer, the design of the bridge has been attributed to

both James Marsh and Daniel Luten. Credit to Marsh is largely based on a letter dated March 9, 1918, from the Marsh

Engineering Company to the Minnesota Highway Department, revising some of its materials estimates. Based on the letter, it

appears that Marsh was one of the six firms that submitted design proposals for the bridge (Letter from J.B. Marsh found in

Minnesota SHPO Inventory File OL-ORC-001, Marsh Engineering Company, to T.H. Ellison, Chief Bridge Engineer,

Minnesota State Highway Department, 9 March 1918). However, the final construction plans do not include a reinforcing

method that is typical of Marsh’s works. Therefore, it is unlikely that Marsh designed the structure that was actually built.

Also included in the construction contract materials is a document entitled “Patents” that is signed by Daniel B. Luten, stating

“the bridge construction contemplated by this plan is covered by United States Letters patent granted to Daniel B. Luten of

Indianapolis, Ind., and controlled by the National Bridge Company” (“Patents,” found in Minnesota SHPO Inventory File OL-

ORC-001, Daniel B. Luten, Chief Engineer, The National Bridge Company, n. d.). However, there is nothing in the plan set to

confirm that a Luten patented element was used in the design (Bridge No. 448 Letter found in the Bridge 448 Inventory File,

Robert Frame to Minnesota SHPO Inventory File, September 18, 1984; SHPO 2014). According to noted Luten expert James

EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS

Historical Narrative

Historical Context

Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota, 1900-1945

OL-ORC-001




L. Cooper, Professor Emeritus of History at DePauw University, the plans for Bridge 448 do not exhibit any obvious Luten

patented features (Cooper 1997:92-96; James L. Cooper, Professor Emeritus of history at DePauw University, personal

communication with Robert Frame, January 23, 2014). It appears that Luten may have also been one of the six proposals

considered for Bridge 448’s design, which ultimately was awarded to Stark.

Bridge builder Nathaniel M. Stark was born in Indianola, Iowa on May 18, 1863, but soon moved with his parents to Des

Moines. After earning an engineering degree from Iowa State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University), Stark worked

for the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad in Nebraska for six months. In 1888, Stark worked as a field agent for the

King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio, and later for noted bridge engineer James Marsh of Des

Moines. In 1894 he formed the N. M. Stark & Company. By 1910 Stark had built hundreds of highway bridges throughout the

Midwest, and extant examples of his work can be found in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Illinois.

Stark designed bridges in materials ranging from timber to steel to concrete; the company’s primary focus was concrete

structures. Most extant examples of his work are filled spandrel arches. Research did not reveal any bridge designs patented

specifically by Stark. Rather it appears that he constructed bridges based on other’s popular designs. For example, Stark was a

licensee for Daniel Luten and built many bridges under Luten’s patents, especially “Luten’s trademark elliptical arch” (Fraser

1992:3-4).

In the early 1980s, Olmsted County began preparation for the widening and rehabilitation of Bridge 448 to meet contemporary

safety and engineering standards. Erickson Engineering of St. Louis Park, Minnesota prepared the bridge plans (Erickson

Engineering 1986). The Minnesota Historical Society reviewed and approved the proposed rehabilitation plans, indicating that

engineers strove to retain the bridge’s arch, which was identified as the most significant element of the bridge. (Letter from

Russell Fridley, State Historic Preservation Officer to Michal Sheehan, Olmsted County, dated 16 March 1982. Available in the

Bridge 448 compliance file at SHPO, St. Paul, Minn.). Work commenced in 1987. During the rehabilitation, the arch was left in

place, but nearly everything above it was removed and replaced, including the spandrel columns, railing and deck. The

approaches were replaced with new structures and the top portions of the piers were replaced. The deck was widened from 20

feet to 40 feet and a pedestrian walkway added. The project, which cost $717,500, was funded by State and Federal bridge

replacement funds (Rochester Post Bulletin 1987).

Later alterations to the bridge included construction of a concrete retaining wall and footing on the east side of the south pier in

2006. This project was reviewed and approved by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Olmsted County

(Bonestroo 2005; Waletzki 2006). In 2010, the north arch footing support was damaged by a flood and subsequently repaired

based on plans also prepared by Ronald Benson of Bonestroo (Bonestroo 2010).

Bridge 448 was determined eligible for the NRHP in 1979, for its significance under Criterion C in the area of Engineering. As

noted in the 2 December 1981 letter from Russell Fridley to C. P. Kachelmyer, the bridge was significant as:

•an early example of an open spandrel concrete arch bridge, a bridge type pioneered in Minnesota,

•an ornate example compared to Twin Cities examples of open spandrel concrete arches,

•unique in southeast Minnesota and the only one of its type in Olmsted County, and

•for its design, which was directly linked to the need to raise the roadway to bluff level

(Bridge No. 448 Letter found in the Bridge 448 Compliance File from Russell Fridley, State Historic Preservation Officer, to

C.P. Kachelmyer, Department of Transportation, dated 2 December 1981).

The bridge was determined eligible prior to the development of the MPDF, the guiding historic context and evaluation criteria

for concrete bridges in the state. Due to the substantial rehabilitation undertaken in 1987, the bridge is being re-evaluated in the

current Study under the Registration Requirements found within the MPDF.

According to the MPDF, the significant span length for a concrete arch span is 100 feet and over (Frame 1988:F-8). As

indicated in the MPDF, “Such bridges represent extraordinary engineering efforts to push a particular span sub-type to its limits

to solve an unusual site problem, and are rare.” The concrete arch main span of Bridge 448 is 208 feet, which is over twice as

long as the significant span length for a concrete arch bridge. Therefore, Bridge 448 meets Registration Requirement 4, as a

bridge “Designed at the outer recommended limits for its span type” and “Such bridges represent extraordinary engineering

Significance

OL-ORC-001




Integrity -

Bridge 448 remains in its original location as a crossing over the Middle Zumbro River in Oronoco, Minnesota. Therefore, the

bridge retains good integrity of location and setting. Integrity of feeling is also retained as the bridge continues to carry

vehicular traffic over the Middle Zumbro River in southeastern Minnesota. The primary engineering element of the

superstructure of Bridge 448 is its 208-foot long reinforced-concrete arch ring. To be eligible for the NRHP within the MPDF

only "the significant reinforced-concrete element in the superstructure span (i.e., the actual arch, slab, girder, mushroom-capped

column, or rigid frame) must be in substantially original condition. Because this engineering element is the most important

feature of bridges in this property type, neither an original substructure nor an original deck and railing system are necessary for

the bridge to be eligible (although these components, when original, may enhance the significance of the bridge)” (Frame

1988:F-7). The arch ring is unaltered and in substantially original condition. Moreover, features above the arch that have been

replaced are of such a scale and composition that they do not overwhelm the span. Therefore, the arch retains sufficient

integrity of design, materials, and workmanship to convey the significance of its span length. Additionally, the bridge retains its

association with the N.M. Stark & Co. as the retained arch span can physically represent the company’s engineering design and

efforts to span the Middle Fork of the Zumbro River at this location. As such, the arch, which is the feature from which the

bridge derives its significance under National Register Criterion C as a feat of engineering, retains sufficient integrity to convey

significance under MPDF Registration Requirements 4 and 6.

efforts to push a particular span sub-type to its limits to solve an unusual site problem, and are rare” (Frame 1988:F-8).

Bridge 448 is one of eight extant bridges to meet this registration requirement, all of which represent extraordinary engineering

effort to push a bridge type beyond conventional lengths to meet a challenging site condition. They include:

•Bridge 2441, Hennepin County, 1923, 435-foot main span

•Bridge 4190, Dakota County, 1926, 304-foot main span

•Bridge 3575, Ramsey County, 1927, 300-foot main span



•Bridge 448, Olmsted County, 1918, 208-foot main span

•Bridge 5370, Rice County, 1926, 122-foot main span

•Bridge 4380, Anoka County, 1929, 108-foot main span

The bridge also meets the MPDF Registration Requirement 6: Designed by an Important Engineer, Architect, or Firm. Bridge

448 was constructed by the N. M. Stark & Company, which is identified within the MPDF as significant in Minnesota bridge-

building. (Frame 1988:F-9). Research conducted also indicates Bridge 448 is the only known extant example of the N.M. Stark

& Company’s open spandrel design in the Midwest. While Stark’s works are prolific throughout the Midwest with many

notable and NRHP-listed examples in Iowa, the majority of these extant examples are filled-spandrel arches. No other extant

open spandrel arches have been attributed to Stark on popular online historic bridge databases. As such, Bridge 448 is a unique

example of the N.M. Stark & Co. open-spandrel arch design.

Bridge 448 was also previously determined eligible for the NRHP under Registration Requirement 2, as a bridge “designed or

constructed with patented or other specialty designed elements” for its use of a Luten patented design (Frame 1988:F-8; SHPO

2014). This determination was based on a standard form signed by Luten that is included in materials related to the construction

of the bridge that are on file at the SHPO, which claims the construction is covered by one of his patents and requesting

payment of a 10 percent license fee. However, there is nothing in the actual plan set that confirms the use of a Luten patented

element. This fact was also affirmed by recognized Luten expert, James L. Cooper. Moreover, even if it could be verified that

the bridge was constructed with a Luten patented design feature or construction method, every component of the structure

above that arch was replaced or substantially altered as part of the rehabilitation in 1987, which severely compromised much of

the original design. Therefore, if a Luten patent was used in the bridge it is likely the patented elements of the design are no

longer fully intact, and thus cannot convey the significance of the innovation. Therefore, Bridge 448 does not meet Registration

Requirement 2.

Recommendation

OL-ORC-001




Bonestroo

2005 Bridge 448 Plan Set. Bonestroo, St. Paul, Minnesota. On file at the On file at the Olmsted County Highway Engineer

Department, Rochester, Minnesota.

2010 Bridge No. 448 North End Footing Support Plan Revised for Changed Conditions. Bonestroo, St. Paul, Minnesota. On

file at the Olmsted County Highway Engineer Department, Rochester, Minnesota.

Cooper, James L.

1997 Artistry and Ingenuity in Artificial Stone: Indiana’s Concrete Bridges, 1900-1942. James L. Cooper, Greencastle, Indiana.

Erickson Engineering

1986 Bridge 448 Plan Set. Erickson Engineering, St. Louis Park, Minnesota. On file at the Olmsted County Highway Engineer


Frame, Robert

1979 Minnesota Historic Properties Inventory Form Bridge No. 448 (OL-ORC-001). Available at the State Historic

Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.

1988 National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form: Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in

Minnesota, 1900-1945. Prepared by Dr. Robert M. Frame III, Historical Consultant. On file at the State Historic Preservation

Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Fraser, Clayton

1992 Historic American Engineering Record Honey Creek Bridge HAER No. IA-39. Fraserdesign, Loveland, Colorado.

Kansas Historical Society

2013 James Barney Marsh. Electronic document, http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/james-barney-marsh/16900, accessed

November 12, 2013.

Marsh, James B.

1912 Reinforced Arch-Bridge. U.S. Patent 1,035,026, filed November 1, 1911 and issued August 6, 1912.

Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)

2014 Bridge 448 Inventory File (OL-ORC-001). On file at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Bridge 448 Compliance File. Archived at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.

N. M. Stark & Co.

1918 Proposed Reinforced Concrete Bridge over the Zumbro River at Ornonoco, Ornonoco Township, Olmsted County, Minn.

On file at the Olmsted County Highway Engineer Department, Rochester, Minnesota.

Sources

Bridge 448 is recommended eligible NRHP under Criterion C, in the area of Engineering, within the historic context

“Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota, 1900-1945.” Bridge 448 retains its 208-feet-long concrete arch span,

which is more than double the typical 100 feet outer limit for reinforced-concrete arch spans. As such, it still meets Registration

Requirement 4, as a bridge constructed at the outer recommended limits for its span type. The bridge is also eligible under

Registration Requirement 6 for being designed by the N.M. Stark & Co, a noted bridge company in Minnesota. Bridge 448

represents the only known extant open-spandrel concrete arch design by the company and is one of the earliest examples of the

type in the state. The reinforced-concrete arch, which is the feature from which the structure derives its significance as a feat of

engineering and for its designer, is in substantially original condition and, therefore, retains sufficient historic integrity to

convey this significance. The recommended period of significance is 1918, which corresponds to the year the bridge was built.

OL-ORC-001




Olmsted County Historical Society

2013 Oronoco Bridge Folder. Available at the Olmsted County Historical Society, Rochester, Minnesota.

Pine Island Record

1918 Bridge at Mouth of Lake Shady Receiving New Cap. 18 March:1,4. Pine Island, Minnesota. Available at the Olmsted

County Historical Society.

Purdue Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections

2014 Daniel B. Luten Papers, 1898- 1924. Electronic document,

http://www4.lib.purdue.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=59&q=earhart&rootcontentid=8597, accessed

February 21, 2014.

Rochester Daily Bulletin

1918 Concrete Arch Completed by County Engineer. 7 December:2. Available at the Olmsted County Historical Society,

Rochester, Minnesota.

Rochester Daily Post and Record

1918a Oronoco Bridge Before A Board. 15 March:1. Rochester, Minnesota.

1918b Bridge Action is Postponed. 16 March:1. Rochester, Minnesota.

1918c New Bridge at Oronoco is Open; First Traffic to be Tomorrow. 7 December:4, Rochester, Minnesota.

Rochester Post Bulletin

1987 Historic Oronoco bridge being widened, renovated. 17 March:1. Rochester Minnesota. Available at the Olmsted County

Historical Society, Rochester, Minnesota.

Waletzki, Lawrence

2006 Olmsted County Bridge 448, Oronoco Arch Repairs Report Letter. On file at the Olmsted County Highway Engineer


Prepared By

Date Surveyed

10/14/2013

Eligible - Individual

Determined Eligible

The 106 Group Ltd.

National Register Status

Consultant's Recommendation of Eligibility

OL-ORC-001




1PhotoK:\MnDOT Bridge Stud Property Photograph

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2PhotoK:\MnDOT Bridge Stud

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Facing S


Facing S

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Bridge Plate

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