Court Avenue

NRMCA is proud to join ACPA in celebrating Concrete Pavement Week and the 70th Anniversary of the US Interstate System. But did you know that the first concrete street was actually placed in 1893? And it is still in service today!

Court Avenue in Bellefontaine, OH was originally a dirt road that was dusty when dry and quickly turned to mud when wet. Inventor and entrepreneur George Bartholomew had the idea to create what he called an “artificial stone for paving.” In 1891, Bartholomew approached the Bellefontaine City Council with the concept and was given permission to pave a few square feet of Main Street as a test. Though many feared the pavement would quickly be damaged or destroyed, the concrete performed far beyond expectations.

In 1893, after watching the pavement for two years, City Council agreed to allow Bartholomew to pave the streets surrounding the Logan County Courthouse in downtown Bellefontaine. Still a bit skeptical, the council required Bartholomew to donate the cement and to secure a $5,000 bond to ensure that the pavement would last five years. The placing of the concrete was done under the direction of Logan County Engineer James Wonders.

Bartholomew’s concrete was durable and resilient and saw little damage for the first several decades. In fact, total maintenance over the first fifty years cost only $1,400!

Bartholomew was honored for his invention at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, IL. His award was titled, “First Place for Engineering Technology Advancement in Paving Materials.”

Although Bartholomew paved all four streets surrounding the courthouse, Main and Opera Streets and Columbus Avenue have since been paved over with asphalt due to damage from a broken water main in the 1950s.

Court Avenue, however, remains in place, intact, and in service even today. On February 25, 1974, the street was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, it was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1976.

“Court Avenue is a testament to the strength, durability, and resilience of concrete pavement and stands as a shining example of concrete as the Foundation of Our Nation.”