Early Reinforced Concrete Bridges | Texas Historical Commission

City Beautiful Movement

This photo, which shows an impressive monument and the surrounding canal at the World’s Columbian Exposition, was taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston.

At the turn of the 20th century, the country gradually transformed out of the Age of Iron, and into the Age of Concrete. Around the late 19th century, the United States started using reinforced concrete, in which steel reinforcement bars are embedded into concrete slabs to improve durability and strength. Europe began experimenting with reinforced concrete in the 1840s, yet American engineers only started favoring the material at a time when population increases and technological demands met with certain aesthetic trends.

One significant development aimed at adapting to the population increase and industrial expansion came from the City Beautiful Movement of the early 20th century. Following the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, which showcased new and impressive structures of Neoclassical and Beaux Arts architecture, the nation sought ornamentation and elaborate patterns for their buildings and structures.

The 1892 Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Exhibition Building constructed for the Chicago World's Columbian Expostion, at left, displays the stone masonry and Classical Revival styles common at the time. The famous World's Columbian Exposition, later called the Chicago World's Fair, initiated the City Beautiful Movement with ornate buildings specifically designed for the fair. It created architectural trends that eventually spread throughout the nation in all manners and forms.

Engineers throughout Texas applied Classical Revival details onto bridge and road construction with the intent of transforming cities into efficient and picturesque metropolises. Growing urban centers, such as Dallas and Houston, hired city planners and landscapers to create meticulous master plans for their downtown centers. Inspired by traditional, Western approaches, builders and architects evoked Ancient Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Classical design seen throughout European history.

For the World’s Columbian Exposition, new buildings were built, such as this 1892 Electrical Building.

With the increasing popularity of the camera, designers had the ability to research, publicize, and copy specific styles from across the globe. Following the First World War, American soldiers returned home with images of traditional French and Spanish architecture. In response, American architecture imitated the decorative and picturesque ornamentation found on European facades. Engineers followed these national trends in aesthetic design, focusing on general appeal and embellishment. These Revivial styles are seen throughout Texas in the neighborhoods from that era, but also in the infrastructure, such as at the Commerce Street and Pleasanton Road bridges in San Antonio.

Download sources for content and images here.

Revival Style Buildings
Following the styles seen at the 1893 Columbia World Exposition in Chicago and then later encountered in Europe during World War I, American designers revived Old World aesthetics through architecture in the early 20th century. These designs primarily found their way into the domestic home, as well as into commercial and institutional architecture. While Classical and Renaissance styles were common at the turn of the 20th century, the 1920s saw an increase in variety of Revival styles. For information on the images below, download the sources here.
A City Beautiful Bridge in San Antonio
The 1915 Commerce Street Bridge over the San Antonio River in Bexar County
Built in 1915, the Commerce Street Bridge over the San Antonio River in Bexar County illustrates the embellishments and craftsmanship common at the time. This concrete T-beam bridge is just one of many structures commissioned for city beautification in San Antonio.
Ornament on the 1915 Commerce Street Bridge over the San Antonio River in Bexar County.
Reminiscent of Greek temples and Classical monuments, the Commerce Street Bridge displays numerous Neoclassical adornments, with engraved columns and a geometric patterned railing. Stone accents frame the concrete, enhancing the impressive structure.
On top of the bridge stands a seven-foot statue of a Native American man named "The First Inhabitant." Designed by Waldine Tauch, the statue displays the union of Revival design with American frontier images.
Open Spandrel Arches over the Medina River
The 1910 Pleasanton Road Bridge over the Medina River in San Antonio, HAER files at Library of Congress.
The Pleasanton Road Bridge is an example of a monumental, Neoclassical structure. Built in 1910, this open spandrel, concrete arch towers over the Medina River, with columns and arches reminiscent of Ancient Greek architecture. Open spandrel arch bridges found great popularity within the country prior to the onset of World War II, providing architects and engineers with plenty of embellishment opportunity. Experimentation with efficient use of materials also led designers to find ways of joining concrete and steel in thin and graceful structures.
The 1910 Pleasanton Road Bridge over the Medina River in San Antonio, HAER files at Library of Congress.
Engineer Terrell Bartlett completed the Pleasanton Road Bridge, or Medina River Bridge, in 1910. This is one of the earliest examples of an open spandrel concrete arch bridge in Texas.

Historic Bridges Links

Historic Bridges Resources

Historic Bridges

Metal Truss Bridges

Suspension Bridges

Early Reinforced Concrete Bridges

Masonry Arch Bridges

Post-World War II Bridges in Texas