Marsh Engineering Company

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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 [1] in Des Moines, Iowa.

The firm's principal engineer was James Barney Marsh (1856–1936), an engineer and bridge designer born in North Lake, Wisconsin.

Works include:

Marsh Concrete Rainbow Arch Bridge 2009-0805-MN-MarshConcreteRainbow.jpg
Marsh Concrete Rainbow Arch Bridge
Cotter Bridge in 1988 Cotter Bridge Spanning White River closeup.jpg
Cotter Bridge in 1988
Henley Street Bridge, in Knoxville, TN Henley-street-bridge-tn1.jpg
Henley Street Bridge, in Knoxville, TN

The Wilson River Bridge (1931), near Tillamook, Washington, and others like it in Washington were designed by notable architect Conde McCullough, who had been employed at Marsh Engineering Company during the 1910s.

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Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) United States historic place

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First Avenue Bridge United States historic place

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Jefferson Street Viaduct United States historic place

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Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Co. American steel fabrication company.

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Cascade Bridge United States historic place

The Cascade Bridge is a historic structure located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. In April 1896 the Burlington City Council approved a proposal to have city engineer S.D. Eaton advertise for plans and estimates for a bridge on Main Street that would span Cascade Ravine. The Cascade Lumber Company had petitioned for the bridge. The city contracted with the Cedar Rapids, Iowa firm of Boynton & Warriner to design the structure and the Milwaukee Bridge and Iron Works to erect the span. The city was responsible for building the concrete substructure. The bridge was completed in the fall of 1896, and is composed of four spans. The span length is 160 feet (49 m), and its total length is 464 feet (141 m). The span is a Baltimore deck truss bridge with Pratt deck trusses at both ends. The structure is supported by stone and concrete abutments with concrete pedestals and a single concrete-filled steel cylinder pier. Over the years the original deck has been replaced, and concrete has been applied to the stone abutments. Otherwise the structure has been unaltered. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

The Des Moines River Bridge is a historic bridge located southwest of Swea City, Iowa, United States. It spans the Des Moines River for 102 feet (31 m). In February 1916, the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors approved the contract for the Des Moines Marsh Engineering Company to build the bridges. It was designed by the company's engineer James B. Marsh. The 9-panel Marsh fixed arch bridge, also known as a "rainbow arch", was completed in 1916 for $7,150. It features two tapered concrete arches that carry the roadway in between them from hangers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

The Squaw Creek Bridge was located in Harrison Township in rural Boone County, Iowa, United States. It spanned Squaw Creek for 76 feet (23 m). The Boone County Board of Supervisors awarded a contract to the N.E. Marsh & Son Construction Company of Des Moines in August 1917 for $6,278. Designed by Des Moines engineer James B. Marsh, the Marsh arch bridge was completed the same year. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Squaw Creek Bridge 2 United States historic place

Squaw Creek Bridge 2 is located in Harrison Township in rural Boone County, Iowa, United States. It spans Squaw Creek for 88 feet (27 m). The Marsh arch bridge was designed by Des Moines engineer James B. Marsh, and built by the N.E. Marsh & Son Construction Company of Des Moines in 1918. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

The Beaver Creek Bridge was a historic bridge located to the east of Perry, Iowa, United States. The 100-foot (30 m) span carried traffic on M Avenue over Beaver Creek. The Dallas County Board of Supervisors bought a rainbow arch bridge design from Des Moines engineer James B. Marsh. They contracted with his son Frank who owned F.E. Marsh & Co. of Jefferson, Iowa to build the bridge for $8,075. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It has subsequently been removed and replaced.

The Rockwell City Bridge is located just east of Rockwell City, Iowa, United States. The 60-foot (18 m) span carried traffic on 270th Street over an unnamed stream. In 1915 Calhoun County requested the Iowa State Highway Commission (ISHC) and Des Moines engineer James B. Marsh to design a bridge for this crossing. The ISHC designed a double span concrete girder structure, while Marsh submitted his patented single-span rainbow arch configuration. They chose the Marsh submission, and contracted with the Iowa Bridge Company to build six bridges for $11,690, which included the costs for this bridge at $4,107.65. Originally built to serve a county road, it was later incorporated into the route for U.S. Highway 20 and carried heavy traffic until the highway was realigned in 1981. While no longer in use, the bridge remains in place just south of the replacement span. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge (Lake City, Iowa) United States historic place

The Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge, also known as the Coon River Bridge and Rainbow Bend Access, is located south of Lake City, Iowa, United States. The 271-foot (83 m) three-span bridge carried traffic on Iberia Avenue over the North Raccoon River. It was designed by Des Moines engineer James Barney Marsh in his patented rainbow arch configuration, and constructed by the Iowa Bridge Company in 1914 for $10,970. It replaced a Howe truss bridge that had been built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland. That bridge was put in service upstream and remained in use until 1983 when it was taken down. The Marsh arch bridge was bypassed in 1985, and remains in place in a county park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Mederville Bridge United States historic place

The Mederville Bridge is a historic structure located in the unincorporated community of Mederville, Iowa, United States. It spans the Volga River for 156 feet (48 m). This is only one of a few open spandrel arch bridges constructed in Iowa. Designed by the Marsh Engineering Company of Des Moines, it replaced a covered timber Howe truss bridge. Clayton County rejected all of the original bids to build the structure when they all came in too high. Six companies bid a second time on the project, and F. E. Marsh and Company of Des Moines won. They completed in the bridge in 1918 for $17,454.32. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. On October 2, 2021, it was the site where Kelsey Bergan and Mark Schutte got married.

Dunkerton Bridge United States historic place

The Dunkerton Bridge is a historic structure located in Dunkerton, Iowa, United States. The span carried a local street over Crane Creek for 212 feet (65 m). The three-span, filled spandrel arch bridge was built by the Marsh Engineering Company of Des Moines in 1909. It replaced an older span at a different location. The bridge served as the major entry point into the town from the north. This bridge was also replaced by a newer bridge to the east, and this span now carries pedestrian traffic between Charma Park and Marble Street into downtown Dunkerton. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

References

  1. Marsh, James. "Des Moines and Polk County Directory - 1922". archive.org. p. 861. Retrieved 31 May 2022.

Coordinates: 41°35′10″N93°37′47″W / 41.58599°N 93.629764°W / 41.58599; -93.629764