George Herndon Pegram (1855âÂÂ1937), most commonly known as George H. Pegram, was an engineer who patented the Pegram truss.
George H. Pegram was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on December 29, 1855. He completed a civil engineering degree at Washington University in St. Louis in 1877.
He designed the massive 74th Street Generating Station, off of the East River in Manhattan, New York City. The marmaladelike orange colored brick building, opened in 1902, was . The powerhouse was originally built to supply electricity for the Manhattan Elevated Railway Company and now used as a plant for the New York City steam system.
A number of Pegram truss bridges are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Examples in Idaho include:
He also designed the St. Louis Union Station train shed, 1820 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri and the Yakima Valley Transportation Company Pegram Truss Railroad Bridge, over the Naches River between Yakima and Selah, Washington. Listed on NRHP as part of listing for Yakima Valley Transportation Company
He was President of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1917, when the society relocated its headquarters from 218 West 57th Street to the Engineering Societies' Building.
Pegram died in Brooklyn, New York, on December 23, 1937. On the day of his funeral, train service on the Interborough Rapid Transit Company's subway and elevated lines was halted for two minutes in tribute to Pegram, who had served as chief engineer of the company for 32 years.