Elegant Arches, Soaring Spans: C. B. McCullough, Oregon's Master Bridge Builder

Conde Balcom McCullough ranks as a modern bridge builder of national and international acclaim. This first major study of McCullough traces the professional life of a brilliant engineer and builder renowned for his elegant, cost-efficient, custom-designed spans.

McCullough's legacy lies in the nearly six hundred bridges he designed and built in Oregon during the years between the two world wars, most notably several beautiful bridges along the Oregon Coast Highway, bridges he called "jeweled clasps in a wonderful string of pearls." Trained as a civil engineer, McCullough was drawn to Oregon by the state's need for bridges and its drive to "lift its feet out of the winter's mud and summer's dust." After developing the engineering program at Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University), McCullough was named the state's bridge engineer. His long career with the State Highway Department left a legacy of bridge building in Oregon unequaled in the twentieth century.

Recognized by Engineering News-Record as one of the most important bridge engineers in the past 125 years, McCullough was an impassioned promoter of state-sponsored bridge building that incorporated engineering efficiency with economic practicality and aesthetic appeal. His bridges are rich in detail; the finest among them are embellished with arch crowns, Art Deco-inspired pylons and obelisks, Gothic piers, towering spires, and arched railing panels.

Illustrated with historic photographs and drawings, Robert Hadlow's definitive and highly readable biography will delight bridge buffs and engineering enthusiasts everywhere.