Why a world-transforming invention remained an untold story—until now.
How did builders shift from the erection of one structure at a time to the mass construction of hundreds of thousands? American Bridge explores a radical reimagining, a new way of building that introduced uniformity and modularity on a global scale while enabling the connectivity essential to the rise of the nation-state. With tales of bygone infrastructure and astonishing images, Gregory Dreicer spans a deep gap in history. He tracks the transnational creative flows that propelled the development of beam, truss, and skeleton frame as industrial essentials, shaped by classical, capitalist, techno-utopian beliefs that still animate engineering and architecture.
Evolutionism and nationalism for two centuries have dictated how innovators, their chroniclers, and all of us view materials, structures, and each other. These perspectives determine what we celebrate and who we forget. Dreicer instead prioritizes bridges over borders and evidence over myth. As a result, American Bridge restores lumber’s role as seminal industrial product. It recognizes the contributions of enslaved Black people at a transformational technological moment. It portrays designers, workers, and managers devising methods of launching long bridges and assembling the tallest of towers. And it invites you to consider the ever-changing meanings of “America.”
ENDORSEMENTS
“A landmark contribution to the history of technology—Dreicer exposes the ideological scaffolding behind one of America’s most iconic engineering structures. A masterful achievement.” —Joanna Merwood-Salisbury, author of Chicago 1890: The Skyscraper and the Modern City
“Complex yet eminently readable, American Bridge challenges the reader to see infrastructure as essential to the narratives and imaginaries of the modern world.” —Mark Jarzombek, author of A Global History of Architecture
“Challenging the concept of evolutionism in the history of construction, Dreicer’s in-depth study of the lattice bridge proposes a new approach based on innovation, entangling politics, and storytelling.” —Bertrand Lemoine, author of The Eiffel Tower
“Dreicer’s engrossing study of the lattice truss bridge makes a nuanced and original contribution to the history of technology.” —John Ochsendorf, Professor of Engineering and Architecture, MIT
“The publication of American Bridge can be described as a Sternstunde: a great moment in the history of construction.” —Karl-Eugen Kurrer, author of The History of the Theory of Structures
Gregory Dreicer is a historian, curator, and experience designer whose transdisciplinary explorations and public engagement offerings include Between Fences, Me, Myself and Infrastructure, and Unbelievable. He has worked with the Museum of Vancouver, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and Museum of the City of New York.
Why a world-transforming invention remained an untold story—until now.
How did builders shift from the erection of one structure at a time to the mass construction of hundreds of thousands? American Bridge explores a radical reimagining, a new way of building that introduced uniformity and modularity on a global scale while enabling the connectivity essential to the rise of the nation-state. With tales of bygone infrastructure and astonishing images, Gregory Dreicer spans a deep gap in history. He tracks the transnational creative flows that propelled the development of beam, truss, and skeleton frame as industrial essentials, shaped by classical, capitalist, techno-utopian beliefs that still animate engineering and architecture.
Evolutionism and nationalism for two centuries have dictated how innovators, their chroniclers, and all of us view materials, structures, and each other. These perspectives determine what we celebrate and who we forget. Dreicer instead prioritizes bridges over borders and evidence over myth. As a result, American Bridge restores lumber’s role as seminal industrial product. It recognizes the contributions of enslaved Black people at a transformational technological moment. It portrays designers, workers, and managers devising methods of launching long bridges and assembling the tallest of towers. And it invites you to consider the ever-changing meanings of “America.”
Reviews
ENDORSEMENTS
“A landmark contribution to the history of technology—Dreicer exposes the ideological scaffolding behind one of America’s most iconic engineering structures. A masterful achievement.” —Joanna Merwood-Salisbury, author of Chicago 1890: The Skyscraper and the Modern City
“Complex yet eminently readable, American Bridge challenges the reader to see infrastructure as essential to the narratives and imaginaries of the modern world.” —Mark Jarzombek, author of A Global History of Architecture
“Challenging the concept of evolutionism in the history of construction, Dreicer’s in-depth study of the lattice bridge proposes a new approach based on innovation, entangling politics, and storytelling.” —Bertrand Lemoine, author of The Eiffel Tower
“Dreicer’s engrossing study of the lattice truss bridge makes a nuanced and original contribution to the history of technology.” —John Ochsendorf, Professor of Engineering and Architecture, MIT
“The publication of American Bridge can be described as a Sternstunde: a great moment in the history of construction.” —Karl-Eugen Kurrer, author of The History of the Theory of Structures
Author
Gregory Dreicer is a historian, curator, and experience designer whose transdisciplinary explorations and public engagement offerings include Between Fences, Me, Myself and Infrastructure, and Unbelievable. He has worked with the Museum of Vancouver, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and Museum of the City of New York.
