Moments

Moments

• 1916: Starring PCA (and Ben Affleck)

  
  "The promotion and sale of our product means a constant yearly addition to the permanent wealth of the community. In other words, cement is used, not consumed."
  
  —   Ben F. Affleck, president of Atlas Universal Cement and first chairman and president of PCA, serving from 1916 to 1920.

  A century ago, in 1916, the leadership of the then-fledgling US cement industry formed the Portland Cement Association “to raise the standard of concrete construction, to improve the quality of concrete work, to increase the quantity of cement used in established fields, and to develop new fields.”

  PCA’s original charter still stands— like many of the concrete roads, buildings, and other structures that were built over the past century and are still in active use.

  Many people know that the ancient Romans used concrete quite extensively.  Over the centuries, concrete has evolved into a complex, high-tech material. However, its fundamental benefits— particularly strength, durability, and resilience— are valued today more than ever.

  The precursor to modern portland cement was invented by English bricklayer Joseph Aspdin in the 1820s. Aspdin pulverized limestone and clay, burned the mixture to form pebble-sized lumps called clinker, then ground the clinker into powder. To make the process faster and easier, Aspdin reportedly used limestone from local roads that had already been pulverized by traffic— and was fined for stealing the limestone! 

  His perseverance paid off, and on October 21, 1824, King George IV granted Aspdin the first patent on portland cement— so called because concrete made with it resembled a popular stone mined on the Isle of Portland. 

  In 1872, David O. Saylor built the first portland cement plant in the U.S. near Allentown in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Others soon followed, and by the turn of the twentieth century cement was emerging as a construction staple.  

  This increasing popularity brought about a serious problem. At that time cement was sold in cloth sacks. Buyers paid a deposit on each sack, which was refunded upon return of the sack to the plant for re-use. But return of sacks for refilling was slow and erratic, and they were often in poor condition. Sacks were often stolen from construction sites and cashed in for deposits. Railroads complained of poor packaging and labeling. 

  B.F. Stradley of Vulcanite Portland Cement Company wrote to cement company executives calling for a meeting to discuss “the present methods of handling sacks, which are almost universally unsatisfactory” and proposed that an industry group be formed to facilitate the collection, repair, and recycling of cement sacks. Accordingly, in 1902 cement makers formed the Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers (AAPCM). 
  
  As the industry continued to expand, there were needs for reliable technical information, research, and uniform test methods and standards. In 1916 the AAPCM was reorganized as the Portland Cement Association to address these needs. 

  PCA began operations with 53 cement company members, a headquarters office in Chicago, eight district offices, and a total of 121 employees. Promotion and government affairs were priorities right from the start. The year of PCA’s founding was also the year that Congress passed the first federal-aid highway act, setting into motion a network of national highways.

  PCA marketed concrete roads aggressively with an advertising campaign in 10 national weeklies, 23 trade magazines, and 59 farm journals. These early ads stressed the value of paved roads for the distribution of food and other products, including the idea that concrete roads provided better fuel economy. 
  
  “Concrete for Permanence” became a slogan that would endure through the 1950s.

   

• "Wealth and Traffic Demand the Best"

  "That's why Sheridan Road in Kenilworth and Winnetka, Illinois, is paved with concrete."
  
  At first glance, this 1919 PCA ad appearing in the Literary Digest comes off as elitist, seemingly touting concrete roads as only fit for the wealthy denizens of Chicago's tony North Shore suburbs.
  
  But beyond the headline, the real message is about durability and lower costs over the life of the pavement - concrete benefits that still ring true decades later. 
  
  "Kenilworth and Winnetka didn't have to consider first cost—but they were vitally interested in last cost. When you consider cost, let it be ultimate cost only. Choice will then be concrete, as it has been in hundreds of small towns where wealth and traffic are secondary to returns on the investment."
  
  “Concrete for Permanence” became a slogan that would endure through the 1950s. 
  

   

• PCA's Sand Library Made Quality Concrete the Standard

  When cement companies founded PCA in 1916, the industry was in its infancy. Concrete construction was rapidly expanding, and with it the need for reliable technical information, education, and uniform test methods and standards.

  From the research laboratory at its Chicago headquarters, PCA developed basic information about cement and concrete and standards governing their use.
  
  Later, research shifted from producing cement and concrete with uniform qualities to addressing basic durability and performance.
  
  As part of its research into aggregates, PCA founded what came to be known as the sand library. Samples of aggregates were kept in bottles and jars and indexed with information on locations and properties. All had been analyzed for chemical properties, used to make concrete cylinders, and subjected to strength and durability tests.

  Thus, every sample of aggregate had a pedigree. Engineers and contractors could contact PCA and learn whether local aggregate could make satisfactory concrete.

  By 1949, the sand library included more than 3,000 specimens.

   

• 1920s: “Clean Smooth Streets of Lasting Beauty”

  With the advent of the automobile, road construction was a top priority for the United States in the 1920s, and PCA seized upon opportunities for paving promotion.
  
  Congress passed the first federal-aid highway act in 1916, which allotted $5 million per year to the states and set into motion the creation of a network of highways across America.

  When PCA was founded in 1916, there were only about 4,000 miles of concrete paving in the United States. Concrete was regarded as a new road-building material. By 1961, there were more than 80,000 miles of state and county concrete roads, more than 60,000 miles of concrete streets, and more than 300 million square yards of concrete airport pavement.

  The late 1920s and early 1930s saw the greatest expansion of concrete pavement in history. In 1930 alone, more than a 150 million square yards of concrete streets, roads, and alleys were built.

  Seedling Miles

  PCA formed a Central Road Bureau staffed with field promoters - a staff of 125 for the Road Bureau alone, most of which were field engineers. Their strategy was to increase public demand for concrete pavement with “seedling miles.”

  PCA promoters urged local officials to build a one-mile stretch of concrete road in an unpaved area. When farmers and motorists rode on it, they would realize it was the type of road they needed and would pressure their legislators to fund more miles.

  In support of the pavement promotion, PCA joined the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and various state agencies to find the best ways to design and build concrete roads. A landmark project was the Illinois Division of Highway’s (IDH) Bates Test Road. In the early 1920s, that project established the most economical design for concrete pavements. The project was headed IDH engineer Frank T. Sheets, who later became president of PCA.

  In 1926, PCA moved its laboratory from the Lewis Institute to the newly construction headquarters building on Grand Avenue in Chicago. In the new lab, research shifted from producing cement and concrete with uniform qualities to addressing basic durability and performance.

  Blaine S. Smith, president of PCA, served as Master of Ceremonies at the dedication ceremony for the new building at the 1925 meeting; 250 member company executives were present.

  Work from this era gave rise to subbases and air-entrainment - perhaps the greatest single factor in maintaining the durability of concrete pavements.

   

• 1930s: Concrete for Hard Times

  The Great Depression made its mark on nearly every aspect of American life and business. Construction was no exception. Public works dominated, as a primary strategy of President Roosevelt was to provide jobs and restore economic health through New Deal policies.

  The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency. It employed millions of people to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads.

  The WPA's initial appropriation in 1935 was for $4.9 billion (about 6.7 percent of the 1935 Gross Domestic Product).

  The program built traditional infrastructure such as roads, bridges, schools, courthouses, hospitals, and more. Projects included 40,000 new and 85,000 improved buildings. These new buildings included 5,900 schools; 9,300 auditoriums, gyms, and recreational buildings; 1,000 libraries; 7,000 dormitories; and 900 armories.

  Total expenditures on WPA projects through June 1941, totaled approximately $11.4 billion. Over $4 billion was spent on highway, road, and street projects;

  Nothing Short of Monumental

  Perhaps the most monumental concrete WPA project—and one of the century's most iconic—was Hoover Dam.

  Thousands of workers flocked to Black Canyon on the Colorado River to build the largest dam of the era.

  The dam required massive amounts of concrete. A total of 3.2 million cubic yards of concrete was placed before pouring ceased on May 29, 1935. Another 1.1 million cubic yards was used for the power plant and other works. There is enough concrete in the dam to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York.
  
  Research Drives Strength and Durability
  
  The 1930s witnessed one of the most profound technical advancements for concrete of the century: Air entrainment.

  T.C. Powers, PCA's head of research, discovered air entrainment as a method of making concrete less susceptible to damage from freeze-thaw cycles, a problem in northern climates.

  Air-entrained concrete contains billions of microscopic air cells in each cubic foot of material. These air pockets relieve internal pressure on the concrete by providing tiny chambers for water to expand into when it freezes. It significantly reduces concrete’s tendency to crack and spall during freeze-thaw cycles.

  Air-entrained concrete is produced using air-entraining portland cement, or by the introduction of air-entraining agents as the concrete is mixed on the job. The amount of entrained air is usually between four and seven percent of the volume of the concrete, but may vary as required by special conditions.

  Other PCA research focused on best practices in concrete construction. In 1931, the introduction of internal vibrators as a means of placing concrete lead PCA to assess how the practice affected strength. Researchers found that internally vibrated concrete was 2,000 pounds per square inch (psi) stronger than hand-placed concrete with the same cement content.

  The vibration itself did not make the concrete stronger. But it did allow workers to place stiff concrete mixtures made with less water and therefore a lower water-cement ratio, which increased strength significantly.

  Other major research initiatives in the Thirties explored the effects of concrete admixtures and conducted field tests of soil cement.

  Treval Clifford (T. C.) Powers served in PCA’s Research Department for 35 years, from 1930 until his retirement in 1965.  

  Mehren Becomes First Staff President

  Edward J. Mehren joined PCA in 1931 as its first staff president. Previously he served as the editor of Engineering News-Record, the construction industry trade magazine still published today.

  For the 15 previous years, the office of PCA president was an unpaid position held by a succession of member company executives. A general manager working closely with the honorary president handled day-to-day management.

  Mehren served until 1937. He was succeeded by Frank T. Sheets, who was president until his death in 1951. Sheets was previously the Illinois State Highway Superintendent and Chief Highway Engineer prior to joining PCA in 1933.

• "Daddy Says Our New House Can't Burn 'Cause It's Concrete"

  "Your family and prized personal possessions are safer in a concrete home. For concrete can't burn. And it sturdily resists the attacks of storm, time, and decay."
  
  Some 75 years before the terms "resilience" and 'sustainable" came into vogue, this 1939 PCA ad proclaimed messages that would not be out of place today.
  
  Appearing in Time magazine and other leading publications of the day, PCA consumer ads targeted single-family housing. Messages were built around benefts such as firesafety, security, and long life.
  
  

• 1940s: “. . . A Firesafe Concrete Home”

  In the 1930s and 1940s, PCA consumer ads branched out to include single-family housing and architectural concrete. Messages were built around benefits such as firesafety, security, and long life.

  Research and innovation also made headlines. PCA took unquestioned leadership in concrete research by building the largest and best-equipped laboratory in the world devoted exclusively to cement and concrete. The building, which now houses CTLGroup, contained more that 2 acres of floor space cost $3 million, including land and equipment.

  Charles Aspdin (left), great great grandson of Joseph Aspdin, the inventor of portland cement, placed the first concrete for the footing of the new lab on June 30, 1948.

  The new laboratory was dedicated on June 8, 1950. Charles F. Kettering, research consultant and director of General Motors, Corp., was keynote speaker at the dedication ceremony. More than 1500 people attended the event.

  Research Fuels Promotion

  In June 1945, PCA’s special committee on research reported on technical accomplishments, focusing on four developments that lead to new markets and materials for cement:

  1. Construction and testing procedures that led to the wide acceptance of soil-cement paving.

  2. Methods for successful grouting of railroad track sub-ballast

  3.  Development of precast floor systems, which led to a greater us of cement in residences and small buildings.

  4. Research into factors affecting the resistance of concrete masonry wall to rain penetration, which fueled tremendous growth in the use of concrete block.

  Other research: Investigation of cracking of concrete walls due to drying shrinkage was conducted at MIT laboratories with the cooperation of PCA from 1940-42.

  The Seeds of the Interstate Program

  In 1940, construction of the all-concrete Pennsylvania Turnpike marked the first intercity tollway and the first limited access divided highway.

  The project lead President Roosevelt to appoint an Inter-regional Highway Committee to study the need for network of controlled access divided highways, which would become the basis for the Interstate Highway System.

• "How Flat Can a Highway Be?"

  "Flat jokes I can do without. But when it comes to highways, the flatter the better." 
  
  So reads the opening line from a 1959 PCA ad in the Saturday Evening Post featuring actor/comedian Bob Hope.
  
  The ad wasn't really promoting flatness, of course. Beyond the attention-getting headline, the text focuses on some familiar benefits of concrete paving:
  
  > 60% less maintenance costs than asphalt
  > Greater reflectance to reduce lighting costs
  > Durability and long life, lasting more than 50 years.
  
  As PCA celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2016, we are looking back at some milestones for the Association, the cement and concrete industries, and construction in general.
  
  A standout era for all three is the Age of the Interstate. In 1956, the Federal Aid Highway Act ushered in what many consider one of the biggest public works projects in history. President Eisenhower considered the Interstate Highway System one of his most important achievements.
  
  The Bob Hope ad was part of an extensive campaign to promote concrete for Interstate highways. For PCA, the Age of the Interstate became the Age of the Spokesperson. 

  The ads took the benefits of “New-Type Concrete” directly to consumers with a parade of celebrity pitchmen. Bob Hope, Robert Young, Art Linkletter, Sam Snead . . . The list reads like a late-Fifties who’s who of actors, sports figures, and television personalities. 
  
  All trumpeted “new type” concrete for the “Sweetest Ride Yet.

   

• 1950s: The Age of the Interstate

  In 1956, the Federal Aid Highway Act ushered in the Age of the Interstate.

  The Interstate highway system has been called the greatest public works project in history, and President Eisenhower considered it one of his most important achievements.

  Beyond its importance for transportation and economic development, it transformed American life and culture because of the mobility it fostered.

  “The Sweetest Ride Yet”

  For PCA, the Age of the Interstate was also the age of the spokesman. In the late 1950s, PCA launched an ad campaign that took the benefits of “New-Type Concrete” directly to consumers with a parade of celebrity pitchmen.

  Bob Hope, Robert Young, Art Linkletter, Sam Snead . . . The list reads like a late-Fifties who’s who of actors, sports figures, and television. All trumpeted “new type” concrete for the “Sweetest Ride Yet.”

  Research Facilities Expanded

  PCA greatly expanded its research capability in 1958 with two new facilities, the fire research center and a structural laboratory.

  The industry needed the new capabilities for specialized research and testing in support of emerging construction markets.

  The rapid adoption of prestressed concrete, for example, made fire testing a top priority.

  Extensive bridge and highway programs, coupled with the rising use of concrete for taller structures, created a need to test large structural members.
  
  The new facilities enabled research to improve transportation facilities, develop more durable and economical facilities, refine architectural effects, and improve firesafety for concrete structures throughout North America.

  The Fifties also witnessed a breakthrough for structural concrete in building design. PCA engineers developed the ultimate strength design concept, which was adopted by the ACI Building Code of 1956.

  This advancement greatly reduced the required size of concrete structural members. It placed concrete building frames in a highly competitive position with steel and extended the use of reinforced concrete to very tall buildings.

  It laid the foundation for concrete to break the 500-foot barrier with construction of Marina City in Chicago, which completed in the early 1960s.

  Kennedy Heads PCA

  G. Donald Kennedy served as president of PCA from 1954-1967. Prior to joining PCA, Kennedy was among the chief architects of the national interstate highway system.

  He coordinated building what is considered the first modern expressway, West Davison in Detroit, in 1941.

  A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in civil engineering, he was a registered professional engineer in 11 states and in Washington, D.C.

  He was the city engineer in Jackson, Mich., and then served as director of water supply and aeronautics in Pontiac, Mich.

  He became closely associated there with Murray D. Van Wagoner, who was the state highway commissioner from 1932 to 1940. Mr. Kennedy served Van Wagoner as deputy in the Highway Department and succeeded him when the latter became governor.

  In 1950, he joined PCA as consulting engineer and assistant to the president.

  Kennedy is pictured far left with Miss Concrete and Miss Blacktop at a 1959 ribbon-cutting ceremony opening a stretch of I-94 in Wisconsin.

   

• "Father Knows Best . . . Concrete Means More Family Fun and Driving Safety"

  "The going's smooth," says Robert Young, star of the popular Fifties TV series "Father Knows Best," in this 1959 PCA ad. "And they're building into these highways the kind of safety every family wants."
  
  It was the Age of the Interstate, and the Robert Young ad was part of an extensive campaign to promote concrete paving. The ads took the benefits of “New-Type Concrete” directly to consumers with celebrity spokespersons. Bob Hope, Robert Young, Art Linkletter, and Sam Snead were just a few of the actors, sports figures, and television personalities appearing in the PCA ads.

  In 1956, the Federal Aid Highway Act ushered in what many consider one of the biggest public works projects in history. President Eisenhower considered the Interstate Highway System one of his most important achievements.
  
  

   

• 1960s: Concrete is Love. Pour it on.

  “. . . it is up to people from now on—people in the industry, people on the Association staff—to make our fine machine, represented by our complex at Skokie, run as it can and must to achieve the objectives that are so vital to every on of us in this industry.”
  - Cris Dobbins, Chairman and President, Ideal Basic Industries, from his address at the dedication of PCA’s new headquarters building in Skokie, Illinois, November 12, 1968

  PCA operations may have been largely unaffected by the upheavals in culture and lifestyle that characterized the Sixties. But the organization did participate in the flight to the suburbs, another trend of the era.

   In 1968, PCA moved its headquarters from downtown Chicago to a newly completed general office building in suburban Skokie.

  The move established the Cement and Concrete Center by consolidating headquarters on the same site as PCA's research facilities. The primary research lab was re-located to the site in1948. In 1958, PCA added a structural laboratory and a fire-testing facility.
  
  Changes were more than geographical. A new leadership structure sought better representation of regional operations in senior management. The goals sound an all-too-familiar refrain: better integration with the regional offices without sacrificing their autonomy and ability to reflect local trends and practices.

  Harry N. Huntzicker presided over the transition, serving as PCA president from 1967-1971. He succeeded G. Donald Kennedy, who was president from 1954-1967.

  Residential Promotion on the Horizon
  
  Advertising campaigns of the decade mirrored concrete’s coming of age in home and high-rise markets. One ad series reached out to architects with case histories of how concrete helped to realize their vision and the goals of their clients.

  Single-family homes were also a focus. PCA teamed up with several allied industry groups to jointly sponsor the Concrete Industries Horizon Homes program in cooperation with the National Association of Home Builders. The program encouraged and assisted homebuilders to build moderately priced homes that made creative use of textures, patterns and shapes of concrete.

  One national and seven regional awards were given each year to builders whose entries showed the best merchandising and design efforts. The top national award was a trip for two anywhere in the world.

  Research Reaches for the Sky
  Past research paid dividends in terms of heady gains in the high-rise buildings market. In the 1950s, PCA engineers developed the ultimate strength design concept, which was adopted by the ACI Building Code of 1956.

  This advancement greatly reduced the required size of concrete structural members. It placed concrete building frames in a highly competitive position with steel and extended the use of reinforced concrete to very tall buildings.

  It laid the foundation for concrete to compete in the high-rise market with a string of record-breaking projects. Chicago became the leader in the ascent of concrete.

  Among the notable buildings:

  • When completed in 1960, Chicago's Executive House Hotel was the tallest concrete building in the world at 36 stories and 385 feet tall.
  • Chicago broke the 500-foot-high barrier for reinforced concrete buildings in 1962 with the construction of Marina City.
  • In 1964, Chicago’s One Thousand Lake Shore Drive took the crown, soaring 640 feet with 58 floors of luxury apartments. 
  • At 645 feet, Lake Point Tower, Chicago, became the world’s tallest concrete building in 1968.

   

• ". . . a Coffee Shop of Striking Beauty"

  "The best ideas are more exciting in concrete."

  This PCA ad series in the 1960s reached out to architects with case histories of how concrete helped to realize their vision and the goals of their clients.
  
  Appearing in a 1964 issue of Arizona Architect, this ad featured the distinctive design for Guggy's Camelback Coffee Shop, an icon among Phoenix eateries. Architects Chopas and Starkovich offered their perspective on the building design and role of concrete in successfully meeting the needs of their clients.
  
  "The plastic nature of concrete let us combine the structural characteristics as a basic part of the architecture. Concrete is the one material we can mold and shape to meet our clients' many needs."

  The undulating roof at the heart of the "sculptured concrete" is still there, but concealed by a new facade for the building's current occupant, Arriba Mexican Grill.
  
  But according to ModernPhoenix.net, the roof is still visible from the interior, and in the exterior rear of the building is still exposed but covered in stucco.