Charles Hermany (October 9, 1830 – January 18, 1908) was an engineer and architect.

Early life

Charles Hermany was born on October 9, 1830, in Lynn Township, Pennsylvania to Salome (née Wannemacher) and Samuel Hermany. He attended local schools and two terms at Minerva Seminary in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

. He attended college and then worked on his father's farm for three years. He studied mathematics and engineering while practicing land surveying in the field.

Career

In 1853, Hermany moved to

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

and accepted a position at the City Engineer's office. In 1857, he joined the Louisville Water Company in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

as first assistant to the chief engineer. He assisted Theodore Scowden in designing the Louisville Water Works buildings. He designed the Crescent Hill Water Plant. Hermany became the chief engineer and superintendent of the Louisville Water Company on January 1, 1861. He worked in that role for more than 25 years and designed water systems for

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...

and

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat, seat of Franklin County, Kentucky, Franklin County in the Upland Sou ...

. His map of a park system for the

Salmagundi Club The Salmagundi Club, sometimes referred to as the Salmagundi Art Club, is a fine arts center founded in 1871 in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan, New York City. Since 1917, it has been located at 47 Fifth Avenue. , its membership rost ...

is said to have inspired

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

's work. Hermany was also involved in the design of the River Pumping Station for the Cincinnati Water Works. In 2009 the Louisville Water Company (LWC) celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Crescent Hill Filtration Plant. Their website notes, "the opening in 1909 culminated Chief Engineer Charles Hermany's quest for pure water. It marked 30 years of research that included building the Crescent Hill Reservoir and a landmark experiment to develop a purification process for drinking water." Hermany worked with George Warren Fuller to complete the project. The designs have even been said to have influenced Frederick Law Olmsted who visited in 1891. A University of Kentucky student compared Hermany's work with that of Marcus Agrippa's in Imperial Rome. Hermany was elected as a member of the

American Society of Civil Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...

on January 6, 1869. He was elected in November 1879 to the member of the board. He was elected vice president in 1891 and as president in 1904. He was the first president of the Engineers' and Architects' Club of Louisville and served for six terms.

Personal life

Charles Hermany's brother was the Pennsylvania German poet Edward Hermany. Charles married Sallie Adams on December 19, 1854. They had seven children, including Irene H., Emily H., Madeline and Hettie May. Hermany died on January 18, 1908, in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. He was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermany, Charles 1830 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American architects 19th-century American engineers American civil engineers Architects from Louisville, Kentucky Architects from Pennsylvania Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Engineers from Pennsylvania People from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Early life

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links