Conde B McCullough

Conde B McCullough was a highway engineer for the State of Oregon and professor of engineering at Oregon State University, who was active from 1919 to 1946. While serving in the seemingly prosaic position of highway engineer, he was responsible for designing or supervising the construction of dozens of bridges across Oregon, many of which are considered masterpieces of both engineering and architecture. Except for a single span in Iowa, and three more in Central America where he travelled for three years, all of his bridges are in Oregon. Many of his bridges are built with a distinctive style (using concrete through-arch designs), but he built in a variety of styles and materials, as the situation demanded. Because Oregon has a variety of landforms and climates, his designs ranged from simple span's over dry creeks in Eastern Oregon, to the majestic arches of the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport.

I have been aware of McCullough for years, and I still enjoy a happy surprise of travelling around Oregon and being surprised by the familiar sight of softly arching concrete over a creek, somewhere. McCullough worked for the state of Oregon just as automobiles (and thus road networks) were becoming common, and many of his bridges, especially the majestic coast bridges), were finished in the 1930s, as part of New Deal programs. Many of the bridges he designed and built are now on side roads, because the interstate highway system has been superseded by the interstate freeway system. Also, many of his bridges are outside the Portland area, so they may not be accessible to many Oregonians. Some of them were simple, functional spans, but many of them include artistic flourishes, including art deco style pillars at the entrances.

What I find most noteworthy about his bridges is their mixture of functionality and artistry. They are distinctive and notable, but they highlight the landscape, instead of overwhelming it. The gentle curves and angles of the bridges seem to flow into the landscape. I wish I knew more about architecture so I could describe it in more technical detail, but that is the best way that I can sum it up. Additionally, obviously they are very functional, sometimes against great engineering challenges, such as the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport that runs 3200 feet while going downward over Yaquina Bay. McCullough's work helped connect Oregon in a way that people take for granted today.

Also, despite his many years of activity, there is not much record I can find of McCullough's specific views, or where he got his artistic inspiration from. He was a creative thinker who worked for many years, but his work speaks for itself. It would be interesting to know more about how he imagined such great structures, and how he viewed the unique landscapes he worked in, but almost all I know about that comes out through his work.