Construction Equipment Guide
470 Maryland Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034
800-523-2200
Wed November 08, 2000 - Northeast Edition
Wickersham Construction and Engineering Inc. knows the ups and downs of the construction industry … literally and figuratively.
The Lancaster, PA-based firm, which will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary, was general contractor for the construction of the Great Bear, Hersheypark’s $13-million widely-acclaimed twisting and turning, stomach churning roller coaster.
Wickersham constructed 211 concrete piers that called for more than 5,500 cu. yds. (4,180 cu m) of concrete. Specs called for a tolerance of only 0.125 in. (0.3 cm) for all bolts (each pier contained four to eight bolts).
That was challenging enough, but Hersheypark made it even more interesting … the job had to be completed off season, in cold and frigid temperatures, and the roller coaster did not have its own dedicated site, but wound its way over, under and around other rides and exhibits.
“It’s the kind of job that can be scary until you actually get into it. You break it up into small pieces and develop a game plan. It had to be right — no guessing or estimating,” said Doug Cherry, director of business development, Wickersham.
Two full-time field superintendents and 33 other employees worked on the job throughout the relatively mild winter of 1998.
“It is an impressive structure,” said Cherry. “In our line of work, you don’t often get to work on anything unique. There are not that many rides done in a year. We also had a tight timeframe. Under normal circumstances, you would take six months to a year to build this, but everything had to be done in four months.”
It was by grand design, not accident, that Wickersham was contracted to help construct the Great Bear for the Pennsylvania amusement park. The company, after all, has had a long-term professional relationship with Hershey Foods, and its founder, Colonel John H. Wickersham, was a business acquaintance and personal friend of Milton Hershey, legendary founder of Hershey Foods.
Their professional acquaintance grew out of Wickersham’s pioneering techniques in reinforced concrete. Wickersham, who was involved in the construction of many early highways and bridges, quickly became an expert on the uses of reinforced concrete — the product that would set the standard for commercial construction.
“At the time — 1906 when Wickersham Construction was founded — little was being done in concrete,” said Cherry. “It gave him a huge advantage over other people in the field.”
So little was being done that Wickersham had to introduce the local populace to the new product, which he used on a building for his father in Lancaster, PA. When the first concrete beam for the building was poured, Wickersham’s carpenters feared that the beam would crumble under its own weight and refused to climb out on it to remove the wooden forms.
Wickersham, frustrated, but confident in his new product, picked up a sledgehammer, climbed out onto the beam and began knocking off the wooden forms. After a few minutes of watching their boss at work, the men quickly joined him on the obviously safe and sturdy beam.
Some people were skeptical of reinforced concrete’s ability to safely span a wide space, but Wickersham usually answered all their questions with one question, “Do you think I would have used it for my own father if it was not the best?”
Hershey heard of the rugged individualist in the Red Rose city near the town that bears his name and realized that Wickersham’s reinforced concrete might be just the product for his new factories.
Why concrete?
Well, at the turn of the century, many factories, even those processing food, were made of timber that resulted in dusty and dirty buildings.
“Clean structures were essential for food processing,” said Cherry, and Wickersham helped build Hershey’s chocolate empire, building by building, starting in 1910. He also helped construct factories for Hershey competitors, including Wilbur Chocolate in nearby Lititz, PA, and Klein (now M&M Mars), in neighboring Elizabethtown, PA.
Most of the original manufacturing facilities of Hershey Chocolate were designed and built by Wickersham. Each of Wickersham’s projects for Hershey built upon the innovations of the previous structure, making Hershey one of the world’s models for efficient factory operations. By the time of the Depression, the Hershey Chocolate Company had grown from a one-story factory to a series of buildings — numbering 22 in all — that covered 50 acres of floor space.
Wickersham Construction eventually ended up serving as an employment agency of sorts, for Hershey, as well. Wickersham would recruit workers for his firm to build Hershey’s factories. After the factories were built, Hershey would offer the construction workers, many of them Italian immigrants, permanent jobs in his processing plants.
Wickersham took time out from his business to serve his country with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in World War I. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He later became a full colonel in the army reserves, a title that stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Wickersham’s reputation and his reinforced concrete led to contracts for concrete bridge work on the original Pennsylvania Turnpike. The firm also constructed elevated railroad bridges for the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. Nearly all the bridges constructed by Wickersham are still in use. The Merchants Terminal Building, Baltimore, MD, is another classic project.
Other landmark projects include projects for York Memorial Hospital, York, PA; Merchants Terminal Building, Baltimore, MD; First Presbyterian Church, York, PA; as well as Air Products and Chemicals; Lancaster Theological Seminary; the Fackenthal Library, Franklin & Marshall College, and R.R. Donnelly, all in Lancaster, PA.
Recent projects include: ADM Milling, Camp Hill, PA; Fritz Island Waste Water Treatment Plant Reading, PA; Hollow Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant, York County; Lebanon Valley College Library, Annville, PA; St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Elizabethtown, Pa; Havre De Grace Ambulance Corp. Building, Havre De Grace, MD, Kennett Square Parking Garage, Kennett Square, PA; Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Lancaster, PA; and extensive renovations and additions at Chester County Hospital, West Chester, PA.
Their current flagship project is a new $500,000 home office. The 6,000-sq.-ft. office at 77 E. Ross St. is double the size of the existing complex, which is being razed.
Cherry said the company looked at many proposed sites in the area before deciding to stay in the city.
“We have a commitment to Lancaster city to stay in the city limits and support the community,” said Cherry.
The new headquarters will feature reinforced concrete and serve as showpiece for the company’s specialized experience with this building material.