The I-beam

Bethlehem, PA

The I-beam is the embodiment of strength, efficiency and durability in our infrastructure and economy. It connects the exploration and exploitation of the 19th century with the monument construction of the first half of the 20th century. Rusted and half-forgotten, rising from the World Trade Center wreckage, or shipped in from overseas the I-beam remains a comparative constant in our self-image. The I-beam doesn't change; we change and the the variance gives us perspective.

Although originally patented in Belgium, in America the I-beam is closely associated with the, now largely defunct, Bethlehem Steel Corp. of Bethlehem, PA (cue Billie Joel's "Allentown").

Stefan