Background
LUTEN, Daniel R. was born on December 26, 1869 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Son of Lambert and Wilhelmina (Hagens) Luten.
LUTEN, Daniel R. was born on December 26, 1869 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Son of Lambert and Wilhelmina (Hagens) Luten.
He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1894, in civil engineering.
He designed and patented the Luten arch, a type of concrete arch bridge. He obtained more than 30 patents eventually, including various refinements of design that used transverse and other reinforcement which allowed bridges to be lighter. "By 1919, Luten claimed to have designed some 17,000 arches, and stated that examples of his designs could be found in all but three states of the Union.
Indiana alone had some 2,000 Luten arches." He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1869.
He was an instructor, in architectural and sanitary engineering, for Purdue University from 1895 to 1900. He resigned in 1900 to conduct the bridge company work.
A number of bridges that are listed on the United States. National Register of Historic Places are credited to him, including (with specific attribution):
Beck"s Mill Bridge, Carries Beck"s Mill Road over Mill Creek, Salem, Indiana (Luten, Daniel B), NRHP-listed
Canyon Padre Bridge, Abandoned grade of United States 66 over Padre Canyon, Flagstaff, Arizona (Luten,Daniel B), NRHP-listed
Carrollton Bridge, Carrollton Road across Wabash R., Delphi, Indiana (Luten, Daniel B), NRHP-listed
Dumbarton Bridge (Washington, District of Columbia), Q Street across Rock Creek Park, Washington, District of Columbia Holbrook Bridge, Abandoned grade of United States 70 over the Little Colorado River, 4.2 mi. Southeast of Holbrook, Arizona (Luten,Daniel B), NRHP-listed
Kelvin Bridge, Florence-Kelvin Highway over the Gila River, Kelvin, Arizona (Luten,Daniel), NRHP-listed
Putnam County Bridge Number.
159, Company Road 650 West. over Big Walnut Crown, Reelsville, Indiana (Luten, Daniel B), NRHP-listed
Moores Creek Bridge, Fort Pierce, Florida
Winkelman Bridge, Old Arizona 77 over the Gila River, Winkelman, Arizona (Luten,Daniel), NRHP-listed
Wolcott Bridge, Colorado 131 at milepost 0.07, Wolcott, Colorado (Luten, Daniel B), NRHP-listed
Additional Luten arch bridges are NRHP-listed that are attributed to the Luten Bridge Company or to Topeka Bridge & Iron Company, two firms which had use of Luten"s patented designs.
Member: American Society Mechanical Engineer. American Concrete Int. American Roadbuilders Association.
United States Chamber of Commerce. Clubs: Columbia (Indpls.), Scientech.
Spouse Edith Heath Hull.
