First Concrete Street In U.S.

The site under consideration here is East Court Avenue between Main and Opera Streets in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Measuring from the east curb of Main Street to the west curb of Opera Street, East Court Avenue is 203.5 The street is constructed of concrete sections five feet square inspection it would appear that the street has undergone extensive repairs in the area where the concrete sections meet. When bids were taken for the surfacing of East Court Avenue in 1893, the contract stipulated that a 14 inch foundation be prepared and filled with of the base layer a wearing surface layer about two inches thick was poured to provide traction for the hoofed animals which used the street. Some the animals that used the street. has worn away the edges of the squares.

The city, however, has made an attempt to maintain the character of the street by making repairs congruent MAR 8 CONDITION REGISTER Ruins NATIONAL inch deep and about two inches apart were made in the concrete surface. of the grooves are presently visible along the north curb of the street. but not separated by any visible expansion joint material.From visual to mix the concrete which was poured onto the stone in five foot square This technique proved tobe a satisfactory way of providing traction for sections.At least two layers of concrete were poured.The base layer, did not provide the necessary traction.Cleat marks about 3/16 of an feet long.

The curb to curb width in this section is a uniform 29.3 Originally the wearing surface was grooved in a grid pattern in an attempt Much of the original concrete remains on the surface of the street; however with the original style and pattern.

In the late 1880's George W. Bartholomew perfected and patented the in 1890, Bartholomew examined an asphalt street noting that horses' make a much better surface he returned to Bellefontaine and set about convincing the City Council to join in an experiment to test the feasibility of his idea. In 1891 an eight foot wide layer of concrete was laid along Main Street in front of the Logan County Courthouse where horses stood up to the wear, the City Council contracted with Bartholomew's Opera Street, Columbus Street and East Court Avenue) that were adjacent and the city appropriated $9000 to cover the cost of other materials and forfeited if the surface did not last five years.

The concrete was poured in the summer of 1893 and the four streets Bartholomew remained in Bellefontaine until 1909 when dwindling supplies of limestone forced him to close his Buckeye Portland Cement Company. there.

Commerce Engineering Conservation MAR8 Communications REGISTER Literature Architecture losophy Science Military Religion/Phi Aboriginal Theater Education NATIONAL itarian Music Agriculture Pre-Columbian Invention Social/Human- Sculpture Buckeye Portland Cement Company to surface the four streets (Main Street, Urban Planning Industry contention that concrete could serve as a paving material.The streets Bartholomew paved remained in service for 65 years without major main- Other(Specify) mentioned above became the first public thoroughfares in the United States Political repair chipping and breakage which had occurred at the corners and were tied.After almost two years of use during which the pavement had along the edges of the sections.

SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) "wet method" of making concrete. While on a sales trip to Philadelphia to the courthouse square. Bartholomew provided the concrete at no cost to be surfaced with concrete.