Charles S. Whitney Bridge Designs
Written by J.R. Manning
Charles S. Whitney was a well known bridge designer in the early to mid 20th Century. Originally from Pennsylvania, he was educated as a civil engineer at Cornell, then came to Milwaukee in 1919 to be the engineer for an architect named A. C. Eschwheiler. (See the Wisconsin Gas Company Building on Nicolas Janberg's Structurae website.) He later went to New York to from an engineering firm.
In 1929, Whitney published his treatise Bridges: A Study In Their Art, Science and Evolution. The book reveals his extensive knowledge of bridge history, which influenced his rather eclectic designs for bridges.
Other Whitney bridges in Wisconsin, included on this site, are the Highland Avenue Bridge in Cedarburg, Ozaukee County, the Lakeside Park Bridge in Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County and the West 6th Street Bridge in Racine, Racine County. The status of other Whitney bridges in Wisconsin is unknown. In his book, he listed the Reinforced Concrete Bridge in Gays Mills, Crawford County, the Mound Cemetery Bridge in Racine, Racine County, the Otter Creek Bridge in Eau Claire, Eau Claire County and the Girder Bridge in Neenah, Outagamie County.
The Range Line Road bridge is built of concrete, and like many depression era bridges in the area, it is clad with "Lannon Stone", a building material that is commonly used in the Milwaukee area. It was used extensively in Milwaukee County Parks during depression era construction projects for structures of all kinds, many of them were WPA projects.
From tiny control buildings to arch bridges to structures of many kinds, Lannon Stone is ubiquitous, even moreso than Cream City Brick, also a common building material in the area. Many county golf course buildings are constructed of the attractive, white stone, including clubhouses. For example, the impressive club house that overlooks the golf course in Brown Deer Park, is constructed of Lannon Stone. Brown Deer Park is the location of a PGA golf tournament, formerly known as the Greater Milwaukee Open.
The stone is actually dolomite but takes its name from the area, northwest of Milwaukee, from which it is quarried.
This bridge uses "Lannon Stone" for facing and parapet walls.
