Frederick William Cappelen
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Cappelen (October 21, 1857 – October 16, 1921) was a Norwegian
-born architect and civil engineer who held the office of Minneapolis City Engineer.
Frederick William Cappelen was born in Drammen, Norway. He attended school in Fredrikstad
in Østfold
county, Norway
.
He was educated at the Technical School in Örebro, Sweden and then at the Royal Saxon Polytechnicum (now Dresden University of Technology
) in Dresden, Germany before emigrating to the United States in 1880.
Cappelen was initially employed by the Northern Pacific Railroad and in 1886 became a City of Minneapolis bridge engineer. He was elected City Engineer in 1893 and re-elected in 1913. He held membership in the American Society of Municipal Improvements and the Minneapolis Society of Engineers. He was elected a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
on April 3, 1895.
Cappelen was responsible for the design of many public works buildings in Minneapolis, for example the Prospect Park
Water Tower, the Kenwood Park Water Tower
, and the Cappelen Memorial Bridge, which is named in honor of him.
Frederick William Cappelen died during the construction of the bridge, and as a memorial to his life and career, the bridge still bears his name.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
-born architect and civil engineer who held the office of Minneapolis City Engineer.
Frederick William Cappelen was born in Drammen, Norway. He attended school in Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
in Østfold
Østfold
is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
He was educated at the Technical School in Örebro, Sweden and then at the Royal Saxon Polytechnicum (now Dresden University of Technology
Dresden University of Technology
The Technische Universität Dresden is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony and one of the 10 largest universities in Germany with 36,066 students...
) in Dresden, Germany before emigrating to the United States in 1880.
Cappelen was initially employed by the Northern Pacific Railroad and in 1886 became a City of Minneapolis bridge engineer. He was elected City Engineer in 1893 and re-elected in 1913. He held membership in the American Society of Municipal Improvements and the Minneapolis Society of Engineers. He was elected a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
on April 3, 1895.
Prospect Park, Minneapolis
Prospect Park is an historic neighborhood within the University community of the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The area is bounded by the Mississippi River to the south, the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota to the east, the Burlington Northern railroad yard to the north, and the Stadium...
Water Tower, the Kenwood Park Water Tower
Kenwood Park Water Tower
The Kenwood Park Water Tower is an octagonal brick and stone water tower in the Kenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was built in 1910 and designed by Frederick William Cappelen, the city of Minneapolis engineer at the time. The tower is 110 feet tall, making it the...
, and the Cappelen Memorial Bridge, which is named in honor of him.
Frederick William Cappelen died during the construction of the bridge, and as a memorial to his life and career, the bridge still bears his name.