First Reinforced Concrete Skyscraper in America

This charming, old concrete, framed building in downtown Cincinnati has served its owners for over 90 years.  It's located on the corner of 4th and Vine Streets, a block from Fountain Square.  The 16 story structure was, "the first American reinforced Concrete skyscraper," according to a 1981 Concrete Construction magazine article.  It was built by the Ferro-Concrete Construction Company in 1902, at the time when no building over 6 stories had ever been constructed of reinforced concrete.

Thomas Alva Edison House

Ohio Born, Thomas Alva Edision, world famous inventer, also got involved with concrete.  Edision is best known for his many electrical inventions and scientific accomplishments, such as the light bulb and the photograph.  Few people are aware that in 1899, he began the Edison Portland Cement Company in New Village, New Jersey. 

Possibly to create more demand for the cement his new company was producing, Edison promoted concrete construction and developed several concepts  for using concrete. He designed and sold set of cast iron forms for contractors to use to build concrete houses.  By using Edison's system, a whole house could be constructed of concrete including the walls, floors, stairways and even the bathtub!

In Newark, Ohio there are 18 concrete houses which were built about 1915 using the Edison concept.  Eleven of the houses face Linden Avenue in this photo and seven face Neal Ave. They were built on lots bordering the yard of the developers personal mansion.

Big Four Railway Bridge

The Big Four Railway Bridge, across the Great Miami River in Sidney, OH was the first large project where the concrete mix design method, proposed by Duff A. Abrams, was used (Engineering News Record, October 11, 1923). Now over 75 years later, Professor Abrams' method is used throughout the concrete industry and the Big Four Railway Bridge is still carrying daily freight train traffic.

In 1891, George W. Bartholomew approached the city council in Bellefountaine, OH with the proposal to pave the town's principal streets with "artificial stone," as concrete was called at that time.  Council was doubtful as to concrete's durability and so approved only an experimental "crosswalk," section, 8 feet wide on Main Street.  The experiment was deemed successful and in 1893, the block-long section of Court Street adjacent to the courthouse was paved and in 1894 the rest of the blocks surrounding Courthouse Square were done.

Find out more on how George Bartholomew's streets continue to benefit Bellefountaine today, 112 years after their construction.