Success and
Longevity are elusive goals
in the business world, but Fromherz Engineers Inc. has lived with both
since 1867.
The multi-disciplined consulting firm traces its beginnings to the
carpentry shop of Ferdinand Reush, who opened his doors in 1867 and
managed to prosper despite the economic rigors of Reconstruction.
One of Reusch's earliest apprentices was Joseph Fromherz, who joined
the firm at age 20 after having worked as a mathematics teacher during
the Civil War. Fromherz's knowledge of arithmetic, geometry,
and trigonometry soon proved indispensable, and in 1873 Reusch made
young Fromherz a partner in the business. Their partnership took on
a personal note in 1880 when Fromherz married
Reusch's daughter, Ellen. That same year, Fromherz went into
business for himself, and a Fromherz has been involved at the
management level ever since.
From its humble beginnings in New Orleans, the company has steadily
expanded to undertake projects of all scales around the world, incorporating
new technologies along the way. Throughout its long history,
the company has undertaken many prominent projects in New Orleans,
among which are:
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The Jewish Widows' and Orphans' Home |
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The seven-story Tulane Newcomb Building |
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The Notre Dame Seminary |
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The Jackson Brewing Company bottling house |
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Loyola University's Law School Building, as well as the old stadium
and Chemistry Building (Bobet Hall) |
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The Component Ablator Facility at Martin Marietta |
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The Mississippi River wharves at Bienville, Julia, Galvez and
Pauline streets |
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The first units of the Algiers Naval Station |
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Both houses of the Little Sisters of the Poor |
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Redemtorist High School |
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The Restoration of our Lady of Guadeloupe Chapel |
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The 12-story Queen and Crescent Building, which at the time of
its construction was the tallest building in the city |
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Parts of the D.H. Holmes Department Store on Canal Street |
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The recent renovation of the 150-year-old Scottish Rite Temple |
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The Regional Transit Authority's Canal Street Bus Maintenance
Facility |
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Other Fromherz
projects include the Lake Charles Expressway Bridge, the Houma Tunnel,
the Braithwaite-Ostrica Highway in Plaquemines Parish and sections
of Interstates 10 and 49 in Louisiana.
Ingenuity has always been a mainstay at Fromherz Engineers.
The company's projects have heralded many innovations in construction
and architectural technology, including the first use of deep-driven
piles to counteract the instability of the area's soggy, shifting soil-a
radical approach that radically transformed the New Orleans skyline.
The Fromherz firm was also the first company in New Orleans to utilize
soil boring and the pulling of wooden test piles to check for tip damage
or breakage.
One of the Fromherz firm's proudest achievements was Joseph Fromherz's
feasibility of preserving the badly deteriorated St. Louis Cathedral.
Fromherz devised a method of "hog tying" the cathedral walls with a
system of rods, allowing the old foundations to be torn out and replaced.
The rods, still evident below the cathedral's frescoed ceiling, bear
silent testimony to the Fromherz contribution in saving the historic
landmark.
Fromherz also has played a prominent civic role in New Orleans.
Joseph Fromherz's son, Alvin, who along with brother Fabian carried
on the family business after their father's death in 1924, was instrumental
in the founding of the Housing Authority of New Orleans. Alvin served
as its first executive director and oversaw the construction of the
original eight city housing projects - Iberville, B.W. Cooper, St Bernard,
Florida, Lafitte, C.J. Peete, St. Thomas and Magnolia. During
World War II, Alvin was the principal administrator of a group that
designed gunnery schools, air fields, a blimp base, cantonments, hospitals,
river and tidewater installations, and hangars for both the U.S. Army
and Navy between 1942 and 1944.
Throughout the years, the Fromherz firm has maintained its bloodline
connections to its founders, passing from Joseph to his sons, Alvin
and Fabian, and then to Alvin's sons, Frank C. and Thomas A. Fromherz.
Frank's son, Frank C. Fromherz II, trained as a civil and environmental
engineer, joined the firm in 1972.
In 1989 the firm's principals decided to offer the business to several
of its longstanding employees. Jay Shah, who joined the company
in 1975 as project manager, became president of the employee-owned
company, and Frank II, the fifth generation of the original founder,
became the executive vice president. In 2001, Frank C. Fromherz II
was named president with Jay Shah continuing as a project manager and director.
Today, Fromherz Engineers focuses its expertise on engineering and
architectural design, cost estimating, construction inspection, preparation
of plans and specifications, feasibility studies, economic analysis,
investigations, and expert opinion.
In addition to local projects, Fromherz Engineers has expanded with
offices in India and Costa Rica. The company also has international
representation at its corporate office in New Orleans, with employees
hailing from throughout the world.
Fromherz Engineers continues to ride the vanguard of engineering technology.
The company has been selected to install a Closed-Loop Incineration
Plant to address the hazardous solid waste problems facing the Indian
industries. This plant will provide emission-free incineration
of waste and allow for 95 percent recycling into usable byproducts,
greatly reducing the need for landfill space. The patented system,
exclusive to Fromherz, is capable of three applications, including
waste-tire recycling, disposal of municipal waste and co-generation
of power. Other similar facilities are anticipated in the near
future.
The company has come a long way in 130+ years, but according to Fromherz,
the secret to success is simple:
"Patience, perseverance, perspiration. Our past is one of merit
and our future is one of promise."
Fromherz Engineers...
Management Team
Members,
from left, are: Karen Crane,
Frank C. Fromherz II, Dr. James Denson,
Thomas Heifner, Owen Sand,
Fromherz Customer, and Jay Shah
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