History of Gannett Fleming
Mr. Farley Gannett and the Telegraph Press building in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, Gannett Fleming's first office. |
The history of the Gannett Fleming organization parallels the
history of consulting engineering
in the United States during the twentieth century. The firm was
founded on August 1, 1915, as "Farley Gannett, Consulting
Engineer," at a time when sweeping
changes were taking place in
the country's industrial development and economic patterns. Widespread
and rapid urban growth,
the need for mass transportation, and the evolution of the automobile
were a few of the factors
that created new demands and opportunities for engineering services.
Gannett Fleming has been
a major contributor to an outstanding and productive era in American
engineering history.
The Gannett Fleming organization has evolved over the years
from a three-man office at its
inception to its current structure, a multi-disciplined group
of companies having more than 1,900
employees with offices in principal cities in the United States.
We have performed engineering
services on thousands of diverse assignments in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, the U.S.
Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and 51 other countries.
The Pennsylvania
Turnpike over the Juniata River (top) Lincoln
Highway Interchange on the Pennsylvania Turnpike
(bottom.) Photos circa 1940.
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While the Gannett Fleming organization grew, the nation's highway
system developed from a
few miles of narrow twisting roads to a vast network of expressways,
turnpikes, and primary
highways. Gannett Fleming was among those chosen to design major
portions of the
Pennsylvania Turnpike, a highway that became the model for many
toll roads that followed.
Methods of sewage disposal slowly progressed from drainage canals
and polluted streams to
highly efficient sewerage systems and sewage treatment plants.
Gannett Fleming has become
extensively involved in pollution abatement through the design
of wastewater treatment, solid
waste disposal, and air pollution control facilities.
Our firm has contributed to the development of the collection,
treatment, and distribution of
potable water from early concepts to today’s state-of-the-art
methods. One of the firm's early
assignments was the design of a 60-foot-high earthen dam for
the Blue Mountain Water
Company in Lehigh County, PA. Since then, we have completed more
than 1,000 water supply
projects, and thereby assisted communities in finding new sources
of water, maintaining the
quality of present sources, treating water for safe human consumption,
and providing the means
to transmit water from sources to consumers. Our state-of-the-art
capability in water treatment
and computer modeling of water distribution systems has provided
clients with very efficient and
economical facilities.
Canadea Dam. Photo taken April
5, 1928. |
Flood control is another area in which Gannett Fleming is prominent.
We have been involved in
the design of flood control works such as local protection projects
and flood control dams and
reservoirs since our founding. We have contributed to the concept
of multi-purpose reservoirs,
which combine flood control, recreation, and water supply in
single projects. Beginning with the
design of local flood control works on Mill Creek to protect
Erie, PA, our firm designed such
diverse projects as a pumped storage dam for the P.H. Glatfelter
Paper Company Reservoir
Project in York County, PA, which created the 1,260-acre recreational
Lake Marburg; the
Tioga-Hammond Lakes Project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
that consists of a
140-foot-high rolled earth and rockfill dam on the Tioga River;
a 122-foot-high rolled earth and
rockfill dam with a 240-foot-deep connecting channel between
the reservoirs on Crooked Creek;
and a 135-foot high roller compacted concrete water supply dam
for the City of Lebanon
Authority.
In the 1960s, when mass transportation was feeling the impact
of the private automobile, Gannett
Fleming designed the Lindenwold Line in New Jersey, a high-speed
mass transit facility that
transports thousands of people daily between Philadelphia and
residential communities in New
Jersey. In more recent years, Gannett Fleming has participated
in the design of most of the new
transit systems that have been constructed in the United States.
We have become a leader in the
design of transit maintenance facilities and automated guideway
transit.
To address environmental concerns, governmental regulation,
and increasingly complex projects,
Gannett Fleming has evolved into a true multi-disciplined organization.
We have increased our
capabilities in planning, hazardous waste management, architectural,
geotechnical, mechanical/electrical, information technology services,
financial, project management, quality control areas,
and public relations. Affiliated Gannett Fleming companies provide
geotechnical investigation,
acoustical analysis design and system installation, and Design/Build
services.
Conditioned by many years of experience and with capabilities
in most state-of-the-art
engineering activities, the Gannett Fleming organization is in
a position to successfully meet
present-day challenges and make constructive contributions to
our society in the future.
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