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OCR for page 7
OTHMAR HERMANN AMMANN
1879-1965
BY THOMAS C. KAVANAGH
OTHMAR HERMANN AMMANN partner of the firm of Ammann &
Whitney, Consulting Engineers, New York, and a Member of the
National Academy of' Engineering, died at his home in Rye, New
York, on September 22, 1965, at the age of' eighty-six. His passing
brought to a close an active, sixty-three-year engineering career
during which he came to be known as the "master bridge builder of'
our time."
Mr. Ammann was born on March 26, 1879, in Schal'1hausen,
Switzerland, where his family had been established since the
twell'th century. His father had been a manufacturer; his I'orebears
had been physicians, clergymen, lawyers, and government leaders.
He studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of' technology, graduat-
ing in 1902 with the degree of' Civil Engineer.
Following graduation he worked as a design engineer on rein-
I'orced concrete structures with a contracting firm in Frankfurt,
Germany. In 1904 he came to the United States, where he under-
took a design position with Joseph Mayer, a consulting engineer,
which initiated his career-long involvement with bridges. He as-
sisted Mayer in proposals for a cantilever railroad bridge to span
the Hudson River at New York City. In 1905 he joined the
Pennsylvania Steel Company, advancing from dral'tsman-designer
to Assistant to the Chiel' Engineer, Frederick C. Kunz. He worked
on the Queensboro Bridge across the East River in New York, and
in 1908 he was retained to aid in the investigation ol'the collapse of'
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
triborough bridge
the cantilever bridge across the St. Lawrence River at Quebec.
From 1909 to 1912, Mr. Ammann worked I'or Frederick C. Kunz
and C. C. Schneider in Philadelphia and designed an arch bridge
over the St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada, as well as a plan
for the construction of' the Quebec Bridge. From 1912 to 1923 he
was with Gustav Lindenthal, a famed bridge engineer, working on
the design and construction of' the record-breakin~ Hell Gate
Bridge with its three miles of' approach viaducts.
OCR for page 9
included the building of the Throgs Neck Bridge, the double-
decking of the George Washington Bridge, and, finally the con-
struction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge between Brooklyn and
Staten Island, the last marking the culmination of Mr. Ammann's
brilliant career. It opened in 1964 and had a span 760 feet (or
22 percent) greater than the George Washington Bridge, and 60
feet longer than the Golden Gate Bridge.
Mr. Ammann received many professional honors, including the
following honorary degrees: Doctor of Technical Sciences from the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Doctor of Engineering from
New York University, Master of Science from Yale University,
Doctor of Engineering from Pennsylvania Military Academy, Doc-
tor of Science from Columbia University, Doctor of Science from
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and Doctor of Science from
Fordham University.
In 1965 Mr. Ammann received the National Medal of Science
from President Johnson in a ceremony at the White House "in
recognition of outstanding contributions to the engineering
sciences." He also received the Port Authority's Howard S. Cullman
Distinguished Service Medal and the first Award of Merit from the
Institute of Consulting Engineers. He was elected to Honorary
Membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1953.
Mr. Ammann is survived by his wife, the former Klary Noetzli,
and his three children, Werner, George Andrew, and Margot. He
will be remembered by all who knew him for his personal attributes
of gentle modesty and inspiring humility, which were in marked
contrast to the mighty structures he built. He displayed a deep
affection for his associates and a marked seriousness and en-
thusiasm for his work. His many technical contributions are charac-
terized by a progressive approach to engineering principles and are
matched by his awesome contributions to the aesthetics and beauty
of large bridge structures.
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