Luten Bridge Company and variations such as Luten Engineering Company was the name of a number of different bridge building companies in the United States during the early- to mid-20th century. Each had rights to build concrete Luten arch bridges, according to the patented designs of Daniel B. Luten, of Indianapolis. [1] : 3
One that distributed a brochure in 1921 and that was prolific in Tennessee had offices in York, Pennsylvania, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in Huntington, West Virginia, in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Palatka, Florida. It built the seven span Harriman Bridge in Tennessee. [2] : 2 The Luten Bridge Company is documented to have built 71 bridges in Tennessee. [2] : 72 of pdf, 186 of book
The Luten Engineering Company was Daniel Luten's own firm during a certain period. [2]
Some of these firms also built other bridge designs.
Works of the various firms include:
One of the firms was based in Knoxville, Tennessee and was party to a famously cited case in the history of American contract law. The firm built Luten arch and other types of bridges. The Tennessee Luten Bridge Company was a party in the landmark 1929 court case, Luten Bridge Co. vs. Rockingham County. [4] Rockingham County, North Carolina commissioned a bridge over the Dan River in January 1924 but canceled it in late February. Luten carried on regardless, and later sued the county for the full cost of construction. On appeal, the court ruled in favor of the county, stating that it was the contractor's responsibility to limit costs after a contract has been canceled. The opinion of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit written by judge John J. Parker defined the Duty to Mitigate, essentially establishing that a contractor has a duty to limit costs after its contract has been terminated. The case has been cited in American law school casebooks and law journals. [5] [6]
The Fourche La Fave River is a tributary of the Arkansas River, approximately 151 miles (243 km) long, in western Arkansas in the United States. It drains part of the northern Ouachita Mountains west of Little Rock.
Mebane's Bridge, also called Mebane's Folly and originally known as Fishing Creek Bridge, is a single-lane concrete arch roach bridge in Eden, North Carolina, United States which spans the Dan River. The bridge was built by the Luten Bridge Company in the 1920s under contract by the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners near the confluence of the Dan River and Fishing Creek. The crossing was conceived by industrialist Benjamin Franklin Mebane Jr., who wanted the bridge to be built to connect the nearby towns of Spray and Draper to a tract of land he owned on the far side of the river where he sought to build a chemical plant. Mebane had also assisted in the election of three commissioners to support the plan.
The Cane Hill Road Bridge was a closed-spandrel arch bridge built in 1923 located near Prairie Grove, Arkansas. It carried Arkansas Highway 170 over the Little Red River, and was in 2014 in the process of being bypassed. The bridge has a single span about 43 feet (13 m) in length, with an overall bridge length of 48 feet (15 m). The bridge is 15 feet (4.6 m) wide. AR 170 was the major north–south route in the area when the bridge was built, but this section has since been bypassed by the construction of United States Route 62. The bridge was built by the Luten Bridge Company of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Canton Bridge Company was a firm that was later incorporated into the American Bridge Company. The firm was established in Canton, Ohio in 1892 and became one of the nation's biggest bridge-builders during the early 20th century. It designed and/or built many bridges that later became listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The Marsh Engineering Company was a company that designed many significant bridges in the United States, including a number that survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was located at 206 Masonic Temple in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Illinois River Bridge, also known as the Midway Bridge, is a historic concrete arch bridge near Siloam Springs, Arkansas. It is located in Ozark National Forest, about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Siloam Springs, at the end of Chambers Springs Road south of United States Route 412. The bridge has two elliptical arch spans, each spanning 68 feet (21 m), with a total structure length of 139 feet (42 m). Built in 1922 by the Luten Bridge Company of Knoxville, Tennessee, it is one of a modest number of bridges of this once-popular and common type remaining in the state.
The Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., also known as Missouri Valley Bridge Company, was a engineering, construction, and steel fabrication firm that operated through the late nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries. It was based in Leavenworth, Kansas, with a WWII facility in Evansville, Indiana.
Topeka Bridge & Iron Co. was a bridge company. Its works include many bridges that are now listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Its Canyon Diablo Bridge was a concrete Luten arch bridge built in 1914. Its Amelia Park Bridge, for another example, was built in 1914.
Daniel B. Luten also known as Daniel Benjamin Luten was an American bridge builder and engineer based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Twin Bridges Historic District, in Washington County, Arkansas, near Morrow, is an area surrounding two closed-spandrel, concrete-deck bridges completed in 1922 by the Luten Bridge Company. These bridges are located on County Route 3412 and former County Route 11. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 1994.
The Vincennes Bridge Company, based in Vincennes, Indiana, was a designer and builder of bridges that was "one of Indiana's 'most successful bridge-building firms'".
The Flatside Wilderness is a 9,507-acre protected area in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is one of six wilderness areas in the Ouachita National Forest and also the easternmost. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the area in a number of ways, including an 8.9-mile section of the Ouachita National Recreation Trail.
The White River Bridge in Elkins, Arkansas is a historic structure carrying County Road 44 over the White River in eastern Washington County. The bridge is a patented closed-spandrel arch design called the Luten arch, owned by the Luten Bridge Company of Knoxville, Tennessee, which emphasized strengthened piers and abutments, resulting in a reduced need for material. This bridge has three arches, with a total length of 192 feet (59 m). After construction in 1921, farmers in southeast Washington County were better able to bring their products to market in Elkins.
The Ouachita River Bridge is a steel Parker through truss bridge carrying Arkansas Highway 7 and Arkansas Highway 51 across the Ouachita River at Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The trusses of the bridge were manufactured in 1933 by the Luten Bridge Company, and were first used to carry Highways 7 and US 67 over the Caddo River. That bridge was disassembled in the 1950s, and the trusses were stored until used to build this bridge in 1960. The main trusses span 202 feet (62 m), while the approaches combined measure 301 feet (92 m), giving the bridge a total length of 503 feet (153 m). The deck is concrete laid on steel girders and is 24 feet (7.3 m) wide. It is one of two crossings of the Ouachita River in Clark County.
The Harp Creek Bridge is a historic bridge in rural northern Newton County, Arkansas, carrying Arkansas Highway 7 across Harp Creek in the hamlet of Harrison. It is an open-spandrel arch bridge, built out of reinforced concrete in 1928 by the Luten Bridge Company. The arches span 69 feet (21 m), and are mounted on piers set 24 feet (7.3 m) from the abutments. The total structure length is 117 feet (36 m), and the deck is 23 feet (7.0 m) wide. Concrete balustrades line the sides of the bridge.
The Wallace Bridge, also known as the Nimrod Bridge, is a historic bridge in rural Perry County, Arkansas. It is located southeast of the hamlet of Nimrod, carrying County Road 18 across the Fourche La Fave River. It is a single-span camelback through truss structure, set on concrete abutments. The bridge has a truss length of 180 feet (55 m) and a roadway width of 15 feet (4.6 m). The bridge was built in 1908, its trusses constructed by the Southwestern Bridge Company. At the time of its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, it was one of three surviving camelback truss bridges in the state.
The South Fourche LaFave River Bridge is a historic bridge in rural western Perry County, Arkansas. It is a two-span Parker pony truss bridge, carrying Arkansas Highway 7 across the South Fourche La Fave River, roughly midway between Ola and Jessieville in the eastern reaches of Ouachita National Forest. The bridge was built in 1933, and has a total length of 485 feet (148 m), each of its main spans measuring 102 feet (31 m).
The Hollis Country Store is a historic general store on Arkansas Highway 7 in rural Perry County, Arkansas. It is located on the west side of AR 7 in the Ouachita National Forest, a short way north of the South Fourche LaFave River Bridge. In addition to the store, the property includes a picnic shelter and two tourist cabins. The core of the store is a stone structure built in 1931–32, with most of the other parts added in the 1950s. It is an excellent example of vernacular roadside architecture from the period.
The Fourche LaFave River Bridge carries Arkansas Highway 7 across the Fourche LaFave River in western Perry County, Arkansas, downstream of the Nimrod Dam. It is a three-span open spandrel concrete arch bridge, with its longest span measuring 184 feet (56 m), and its total length 518 feet (158 m). The arches are mounted on concrete abutments and piers. The bridge deck is asphalt, and is lined by ornate concrete balustrades. It was built in 1941 by the Luten Bridge Company, and is a well-preserved example of style from that period.
The Ward's Crossing Bridge is a historic bridge in rural eastern Yell County, Arkansas. The bridge carries County Road 8 across the Fourche La Fave River, south of Plainview. It is a single-span camelback through truss, whose main span measures 160 feet (49 m), with a total structure length, including approaches of 240 feet (73 m). The bridge is mounted on concrete piers, and has a wooden deck carrying a single lane of traffic. The bridge was built in 1905 by the Converse Bridge Company. It is the only camelback truss bridge in the county, and one of only three known in the state.