National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks

ASCE's Historic Civil Engineering Landmark program recognizes historically significant national and international engineering projects, structures, and sites. To be nominated, a project must be of historical civil engineering significance, have a special uniqueness (e.g., a first project constructed) or utilized a unique or significant construction or engineering technique, and contributed to the development of the nation or at least a very large region. Projects nominated as landmarks should also be at least 50 years old. A total of ten projects in the Met Section have been designated as National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks and each is described below.

Unsanitary conditions in Manhattan's limited water supplies, combined with a rapid expansion of wood frame buildings and fires led New York City to search for a new supply of clean water. The Croton Water Supply System was designed by John B. Jervis, consisting of a dam on the Croton River, a 41-mile iron pipe aqueduct encased in brick masonry, a bridge across the Harlem River (High Bridge), a receiving reservoir (now the Great Lawn in Central Park), and a distributing reservoir (now the New York Public Library near Bryant Park). To meet the City's growing demand for water, the New Croton Aqueduct was completed in 1890, tripling the original capacity of the Old Croton Aqueduct. The Croton Water Supply System was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 1975.

Built by William E. Ward in Rye Brook, New York, this structure was one of the first reinforced concrete buildings constructed in the United States. The house has over 12 rooms and was entirely constructed of concrete reinforced with iron I-beams and rods, except for only the doors, window frames, and trim. Architect Robert Mook's design accentuated the use of concrete as a building material and the structure is dominated by a four-story, castle-like octagonal tower at one corner. The building introduced the practicability of reinforced concrete as a building material as well as its fireproof benefits. The Ward House was designated as a National Historic Civil and Concrete Engineering Landmark by ACI and ASCE in 1977.

The Brooklyn Bridge was a feat in nineteenth century civil engineering. At the time of its completion, the 1,595-foot main span over the East River made it the world's longest suspension bridge and its 276-foot Neo-Gothic granite towers were taller than New York's highest office building. It was the first bridge to use galvanized steel wire in cable construction and the project took over 13 years to complete. The bridge was designed by John A. Roebling, who died before construction began. He was succeeded as chief engineer by his son Washington Roebling, and when he became stricken with caisson disease during construction, his wife Emily faithfully carried out his orders. The Brooklyn Bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 1972.

French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi commissioned engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel to design a structural framework to support the colossal 151-foot tall copper sculpture that stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. Eiffel designed an iron skeleton with horizontal struts and diagonal cross braces to support a secondary structural frame, which conforms to the outer contour of the statue's hammered copper sheets. Eiffel went on to design the tower that bears his name in Paris, which is also an ASCE International Civil Engineering Landmark. The Statue of Liberty was designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 1985.

The first segment of the New York City subway system ran nine miles from City Hall to 145th Street and Broadway, following the routes of today's IRT Lexington Avenue Line (4/5/6), 42nd Street Shuttle (S), and Seventh Avenue/Broadway Line (1/2/3). It was the first major subway system constructed in the United States and featured four separate tracks, two for local service and two for express service. Designed by William Barclay Parsons, the first subway was primarily built using shallow cut-and-cover construction to avoid the need for deep tunnels. The First New York City Subway was designated as a National Historic Civil and Mechanical Engineering Landmark by ASCE and ASME in 1977.

The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Tunnel, which currently carries Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) trains between Manhattan and Hoboken, New Jersey, was the first railroad tunnel constructed under a major river in the United States. Construction of the uptown tunnel began in 1874 and was abandoned twice due to a lack of funds before completion in 1908. In order to construct the tunnel through the mud beneath the Hudson River, a pneumatic shield was developed to support the tunnel's walls before they were lined with tubular cast iron plates. In 1909, a second tunnel was opened from the Hudson Terminal (now the World Trade Center) in Lower Manhattan to Jersey City, New Jersey. The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Tunnel was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 1978.

The Holland Tunnel consists of two 29-foot diameter, 8,500-foot long tubes that each carries two lanes of vehicular traffic under the Hudson River between Manhattan and Jersey City, New Jersey. It was the first tunnel specifically designed for automobiles and trucks, which necessitated the design of a mechanical ventilation system. It also employed the use of a pneumatic-driven shield through difficult river bottom conditions. The tunnel was named after Clifford M. Holland, the first chief engineer on the project, who died before it was completed. Subsequent engineers leading the project were Milton H. Freeman and Ole Singstad. The Holland Tunnel was designated as a National Historic Civil and Mechanical Engineering Landmark by ASCE and ASME in 1982.

The 3,500-foot long center span of the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River nearly doubled the previous world record for the bridge with the longest main span. While the bridge was originally built to carry six lanes of traffic between Manhattan and Fort Lee, New Jersey, Othmar Ammann's design anticipated the addition of a second deck at a later date. The bridge now carries a total of 14 lanes of lanes of vehicular traffic (eight on the upper level and six on the lower level) and is one of the world's busiest bridges. The George Washington Bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 1981.

Spanning 1,675 feet across Kill Van Kull between Staten Island, New York and Bayonne, New Jersey, the Bayonne Bridge was the longest steel arch bridge in the world at the time of its completion and held this record for a period of 47 years. It was the first major bridge to use manganese steel for its main arch ribs and in its rivets. The innovative use of falsework during construction precluded the need for heavy anchorages and abutment towers. Othmar Ammann's design won a prize from the American Institute for Steel Construction as "The Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in 1931. The Bayonne Bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 1985.

The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge) is commonly just thought of as a suspension bridge over the East River but actually consists of three different bridges, a viaduct between Randall's and Wards Islands, a three-legged interchange, and 14 miles of approach roads. The three bridges linking Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx include a 1,380-foot suspension span, a vertical lift span, and a fixed truss span designed to be convertible to a vertical lift span. The project is an early example of the planning and development of a major transportation artery in an urban environment. Robert Moses played an instrumental role of the planning of this project and the chief engineer was Othmar Ammann. The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge Project was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 1986.

New York City's Empire State Building was selected as ASCE's Monument of the Millennium representing civil engineering achievements in skyscrapers. The 1,250-foot skyscraper became the world's tallest building at the time of its completion and remained the tallest for over forty years until it was surpassed by the 1,368-foot One World Trade Center in 1972. In addition to its record setting height, the Empire State also revolutionized the construction of tall buildings with its innovative project management and speed of construction. Portions of the building were prefabricated off-site and assembled in place. The entire structure was completed with a crew of 3,000 workers in a time period of just one year and 45 days, rising at a rate of four and a half stories per week. The Empire State Building was formally dedicated as a Monument of the Millennium by ASCE President Robert W. Bein on July 18, 2001. ASCE previously named the Empire State Building as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World in 1996 and one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders in 1955.