Free Othmar Ammann Essays and Papers

“We are in the presence of a work of art only when it has no preponderant instrumental use, and when its technical and rational foundations are not preeminent.”1 The words of George Kubler, a prominent twentieth century art historian, support the notion that art cannot be useful or necessary to society outside of its artistic expression. Kubler’s belief, however, is not solely a contemporary idea. The eighteenth century philosopher, Immanuel Kant, formally proposed this theory. Kant separated

suspension span of 2,640 feet long along with a cantilevered truss span of 685 ft. on each end. However, his design was rejected by the public because they thought such a bridge would ruin the beauty of the area. Therefore, Strauss had to work with Othmar Ammann, Charles Derleth Jr., and Leon Moisseiff, consulting engineers, who together created a new design. They created a suspension bridge with a length of 4,000 ft. Their new design was approved by the U.S. War Department in 1930 and construction proceeded