bridges, covered

BRIDGE_02

Oregon has a large number of covered bridges, where the wood trusses had to be protected from the persistent damp and subsequent rot and failure.  These are simple, rectangular, white clapboard (or board & batten) gabled ‘houses’, concealing impressive, large-scale Howe trusses inside.  I find engineered structures to have a brutal beauty, especially those of the early 20th Century, and often believe the Historic American Engineering Record to be much more fascinating than its architectural counterpart.  These covered bridges offer a wonderful contrast between the utilitarian trussed interiors and the domestic exterior form.  There might just be another project somewhere in there. . .

BRIDGE_01

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