Portland Cement Association Centennial, 1916-2016

Birth of the U.S. Industry

1860 - 1916

A New Material for a New Age

1916 - 1920

Paving Drives Growth

1920 - 1930

Concrete for Hard Times

1930 - 1940

Research Builds New Markets

1940 - 1950

The Age of the Interstate

1950 - 1960

New Directions

1960 - 1970

America Rebuilds

1970 - 1980

Rising to the Occasion

1980 - 1990

Homing in on Housing

1990 - 2000

The Greening of Concrete

2000 - 2010

Today's PCA

2010 - 2016

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Research & Technology

PCA Releases 16th Edition of Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures

2016

PCA launched Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, 16th edition, a fully-revised and comprehensive guide to today’s concrete applications, methods...

Resilience Leadership Awards

2016

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has announced the ten recipients of the inaugural 2016 Resilience Leadership Awards.

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act

2015

In 2015, Congress passed the FAST Act, which provides funding and sets policy. PCA worked to ensure that the bill included several industry policy...

Safe Room Showcase

2015

As an advocate for durable and economical construction, PCA teemed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and FLASH to showcase storm shelter...

James G. Toscas

2014

At its annual meeting on November 18, 2014, the Board of Directors of PCA named James G. Toscas president and chief executive officer, effective...

432 Park Avenue, New York

2014

The exterior of the building features architectural concrete made with white portland cement.

Gregory M. Scott

2013

Effective, January 2, 2013, Gregory M. Scott became president/CEO of PCA.

Limestone cements

2012

PCA successfully changed ASTM and AASHTO specifications to permit limestone additions of up to 15%, saving $100 to $150 million per year and advancing...

Focus Shifts to Washington, D.C.

2012

PCA announced management changes designed to shift leadership to Washington, D.C., in support of a renewed emphasis on national advocacy efforts in...

National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

2012

When NESHAP regulations threatened U.S. cement production, PCA lead a successful multi-pronged approach that saved the industry more than $2 billion...

Burj Khalifa

2009

Using its world-class laboratory, CTLGroup conducted creep and shrinkage testing for the structural analysis of the building.

Standard Reference Material Contributions

2009

CTLGroup completes its most recent set of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly...

Trump Tower

2009

Trump Tower Chicago is a multi-use building with a height of 1,134 feet (1,362 feet including the spire) above grade and was completed in 2009.

MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub

2009

PCA teams up with the Ready Mixed Concrete Research and Education Foundation to establish the Concrete Sustainability Hub at the Massachusetts...

George B. Barney

2008

George B. Barney served as PCA's Senior Vice President for Market Development and Technical Services until his retirement in 2008.

Concrete Shines in ENERGY STAR Home

2008

For the past five years, The New American Home® has been certified through the ENERGY STAR® program. Each of these homes has featured concrete wall...

Brian McCarthy

2007

At its annual meeting on October 23, 2007, the PCA board of directors named Brian McCarthy president and CEO.

Anthony E. Fiorato

2007

Tony Fiorato was president and CEO of CTLGroup from 1999 until his retirement in 2007.

Big Dig Tunnel Collapse

2007

CTLGroup is involved in analysis and determination of cause of collapse in ceiling in Boston, MA.

National Building Museum's Green House

2006

The growing mandate for green design in home building is explored comprehensively for the first time by the National Building Museum in The Green...

PCA Launches Concrete Thinking

2004

PCA launches “Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable Future” – a program highlighting concrete’s use in sustainable construction and environmental...

Unity Temple Restoration

2003

CTLGroup completes award-winning design-build concrete restoration project for Frank Lloyd Wright landmark in Oak Park, IL.

The Solaire

2003

The nation’s first green residential high-rise building is just blocks away from ground zero in lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City, and is the...

World Trade Center Collapse

2001

Senior Vice President Dr. W. Gene Corley oversees the initial report to FEMA and testifies in front of Congressional Committee.

PCA Forms Education Foundation

2001

Founded in 2001, the Portland Cement Association Education Foundation funds a variety of educational activities that increase public knowledge...

Safeco Field

2000

CTLGroup performed a long-term performance monitoring of the retractable roof viscous-damper system movement at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA.

LEED Launched

2000

The United States Green Building Council launched LEED, the first standards and certification program for sustainable construction.

Branch Davidian Trial

1999

Senior Vice President Dr. W. Gene Corley worked with the U.S. Justice Dept. to counter claims by the Branch Davidians that the FBI used unreasonable...

Nondestructive Testing (NDT)

1997

CTLGroup leads the industry with services that include almost all aspects and methods of concrete NDT. We began in 1997, when NDT expert Allen Davis...

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

1996

The Washington, D.C. National Park Service requested CTLGroup to investigate and determine the causes of granite panel cracking.

Oklahoma City Bombing

1995

Senior Vice President Dr. W. Gene Corley headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) investigation of the bombing and structural response...

New American Home

1994

PCA partners with the National Association of Home Builders to create The New American Home, a show house for the International Builders’ Show...

Chicago Public Library

1992

The goal of CTL Group's first project in sustainability is to determine the embodied energy of concrete and steel.

NCNB Tower

1992

Completed in 1991, the NCNB Tower in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a mixed-use development with a hotel and two major landscaped plazas.

Carnegie Hall Tower

1991

Completed in 1991, New York City's 757-foot-tall Carnegie Hall Tower set a world record for slenderness in a high-rise building.

Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials

1990

CTLGroup evaluates deterioration in monument structures in Washington, D.C.

311 South Wacker Drive

1989

At 70 stories tall, Chicago's 311 South Wacker Drive was the tallest concrete building in the world at the time of its completion in 1989.

Two Prudential Plaza

1989

Completed in 1989, Chicago's 918-foot, 64-story Two Prudential Plaza took the crown as the tallest concrete building in the world.

Two Union Square

1988 - 1990

Two Union Square, Seattle, Washington, used concrete with a compressive strength of 19,000 psi in its steel tube and concrete composite columns, a...

John P. Gleason, Jr.

1987

John P. "Jay" Gleason, Jr., served as PCA president from 1986 until his retirement in 2007.

Construction Technology Laboratories

1987

In 1987, PCA’s research and development laboratories became a wholly-owned, for-profit subsidiary of PCA called Construction Technology Laboratories,...

Walter E. Kunze

1987

Walter Kunze was the first president of Construction Technology Laboratories Inc. (now CTLGroup) and vice president of research and development for...

River City

1986

Concrete Countertops

1985

Buddy Rhodes, the father of the concrete countertop, cast his first countertop in the mid '80s.

Lunar Soil

1985

CTL gains national attention when NASA provides one of the largest samples of lunar soil it has allocated for investigative research.

William Young

1983 - 1986

William Young served as PCA president from 1983-1986.

First RCC Dam

1982

Willow Creek Dam, Heppner, Oregon, completed in 1982, was the first roller-compacted (RCC) dam.

Commerce Tower

1981

Commerce Tower, Houston, Texas, set a new concrete pumping record (1034 feet) in 1981.

Concrete Rises to the Occasion

1980

Advances in concrete strength and innovations in construction technology, such as pumping, fueled concrete’s entry into high-rise buildings,...

Richard E. Reuss

1978 - 1983

Richard E. Reuss served as PCA president from 1978-1983.

Water Tower Place

1975

At 859 feet, Chicago's Water Place becomes the world's tallest concrete building.

Robert D. MacLean

1971 - 1978

Robert D. MacLean was PCA president from 1971-1978.

One Shell Plaza

1970

Built in 1970, the 714-foot, 52-story On Shell Plaza in Houston, Texas, was designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill.

American Rebuilds

1970

With a maturing highway network, Congress approved funding for the Three Rs: Resurfacing, Restoration, and Rehabilitation.

Reducing Concrete’s Carbon Footprint

1970

Construction Technology Laboratories, now CTLGroup, begins the first of decades of research and project work on using fly ash and other supplementary...

Cris Dobbins

1968

“. . . it is up to people from now on—people in the industry, people on the Association staff—to make our fine machine, represented by our complex at...

Horizon Homes

1968

In the 1960s, PCA teamed up with several allied industry groups to jointly sponsor the Concrete Industries Horizon Homes program in cooperation with...

PCA Moves to New Headquarters

1968

In 1968, PCA moved its headquarters to a newly completed general office building in Skokie, Illinois, consolidating operations at what was known at...

Lake Point Tower

1968

AT 645 feet, Chicago's Lake Point Tower became the tallest concrete building in the world.

Harry N. Huntzicker

1967 - 1971

Harry N. Huntzicker served as PCA president from 1967-1971.

"Concrete's Finest 50 Years"

1966

To celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1966, PCA produced a documentary film titled "Concrete's Finest 50 Years."

Place Victoria

1964

Built in Montreal, the Place Victoria is a 51-story reinforced-concrete frame office building designed by Luigi Moretti.

One Thousand Lake Shore Drive

1964

Designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, One Thousand Lake Shore Drive soars 640 feet with 58 floors of luxury apartments.

ACPA Founded

1964

The American Concrete Pavement Association is the world’s largest trade association that exclusively represents the interests of those involved with...

". . . a Coffee Shop of Striking Beauty"

1964

This PCA ad series in the 1960s reached out to architects with case histories of how concrete helped to realize their vision and the goals of their...

Marina City

1962

Designed by Bertrand Goldberg, Marina City in Chicago broke the 500-foot-high barrier for reinforced concrete buildings and fueled concrete’s entry...

Executive House

1960

When completed in 1960, Chicago's Executive House Hotel was the tallest concrete building in the world.

Guggenheim Museum

1959

Miss Concrete and Miss Blacktop

1959

Miss Concrete and Miss Blacktop at a 1959 ribbon-cutting ceremony opening a stretch of I-94 in Wisconsin.

National Road Tests

1958 - 1960

The Interstate era also sparked the most comprehensive highway research project in history.

New Labs Expand Research

1958

PCA added two new buildings in 1958, the fire research center and a structural laboratory.

"The Sweetest Ride Yet"

1958

For PCA, the Age of the Interstate was also the age of the spokesman.

Ultimate Strength Design

1956

PCA engineers developed the ultimate strength design concept, which was adopted by the ACI Building Code of 1956.

The Age of the Interstate

1956

In 1956, the Federal Aid Highway Act ushered in the Age of the Interstate.

Lake Pontchartrain

1956

Spanning nearly 24 miles, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the world's longest bridge across water.

Bahai Temple

1953

In 1920, work began on the Bahai Temple, designed by Louis Bourgeois in Wilmette, Illinois.

G. Donald Kennedy

1953

G. Donald Kennedy served as president of PCA from 1954-1967.

"They'll Make Bigger Hogs of Themselves on Concrete"

1952

In the Fifities, the PCA Farm Bureau conducted an extensive advertising campaign illustrating the advantages of confining hogs on concrete.

"Cement Goes Through a Sieve That Holds Water"

1952

Unlike some other vintage PCA campaigns that targeted construction markets, the goal of this 1952 ad and others like it was education.

Carl D. Franks

1951 - 1954

Carl D. Franks led PCA as Executive Vice President in 1951 following the death of PCA president Frank Sheets.

New Lab Advances Technology

1949

In the late Forties, PCA built the largest and best-equipped laboratory in the world devoted exclusively to cement and concrete.

Charles Aspdin

1948

Charles Aspdin, great great grandson of Joseph Aspdin, the inventor of portland cement, placed the first concrete for the footing of the new lab on...

"We'll Never Be Able to Haunt That House. Concrete Floors Won't Creak"

1946

This haunting 1946 PCA ad appeared in The American Home magazine and other consumer publications.

Research Explores New Markets and Materials

1945

In June 1945, PCA’s special committee on research reported on technical accomplishments, focusing on four developments that lead to new markets and...

Long-Term Field Study Begins

1941

A long-time field study of cement performance on concrete using 27 cements of various properties is established (RX026)

“. . . A Firesafe Concrete Home”

1940

In the 1930s and 1940s, PCA consumer ads branched out to include single-family housing and architectural concrete.

Pennsylvania Turnpike

1940

Construction of the all-concrete Pennsylvania Turnpike marked the first intercity toll.

Air Entrainment

1938

PCA's head of research T.C. Powers discovers air entrainment as a method of making concrete frost resistance and less susceptible to damage from...

Frank T. Sheets

1937 - 1951

Frank T. Sheets served as PCA president from 1937 until his death in 1951.

Back to School at Hollywood High

1936

This 1936 PCA ad featuring the Science Building at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles was part of a campaign targeting architectural concrete...

Falling Water

1936

Built in 1936-1937 in southwest Pennsylvania, Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water is arguably the world's most famous concrete house.

WPA: The Works Progress Administration

1935

The Works Progress Administration or WPA was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of unemployed people to carry...

T.C. Powers

1933

Treval Clifford (T. C.) Powers served in PCA's Research Department for 35 years until his retirement in 1965.

Good Vibrations

1931

In 1931, the introduction of internal vibrators as a means of placing concrete lead PCA to assess its effect on concrete.

Mehren Becomes First PCA President

1931 - 1937

The first paid staff PCA president, in 1931, was Edward J. Mehren, editor of Engineering News-Record.

Hoover Dam

1931 - 1936

Thousands of workers flocked to Black Canyon on the Colorado River to build the largest dam of the era.

National Concrete Ready Mixed Association Founded

1930

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association was formally launched on July 10, 1930 in Pittsburgh.

Daddy Says Our House Can't Burn

1930 - 1939

Appearing in Time magazine and other leading publications of the day, PCA consumer ads in the Thirties targeted single-family housing. Messages were...

Frank E. Smith

1929 - 1931

Frank E. Smith, Lawrence Cement, served as PCA president from 1929-31.

Gabriel S. Brown

1927

Gabriel S. Brown, Alpha Portland Cement, served as PCA president from 1927-28

PCA Expands Laboratory

1926

In 1926, PCA moved its laboratory from the Lewis Institute to the newly construction headquarters building on Grand Avenue in Chicago.

Blaine S. Smith

1925 - 1926

Blaine S. Smith, Universal Atlas Portland Cement, served as president of PCA form 1925-26 and presided over the dedication of PCA's new office and...

PCA Builds New Headquarters

1925

PCA built new headquarters and research labs at 33 West Grand, Chicago. Cornerstone laid on November 18, 1925; Association moved in 1926.

Seedling Miles

1925

PCA formed a Central Road Bureau staffed with field promoters—a staff of 125 for the Road Bureau alone, most of which were field engineers.

Frederick W. Kelly

1923 - 1924

Frederick W. Kelly, Helderberg Cement, was the third president of PCA, serving from 1923-24.

Gladys Nambert

1922

Gladys Nambert, daughter of PCA board member Stephen Nambert, president of Edison Portland Cement Company, Orange, New Jersey, unveils a bust of...

Bates Test Road

1922

In support of pavement promotion, PCA joined the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and various state agencies to find the best ways to design and build...

Lester T. Sunderland

1921 - 1922

Lester T. Sunderland was a founder of Ash Grove Cement Company and PCA's second president, serving from 1921-22.

“Clean Smooth Streets of Lasting Beauty”

1920

With the advent of the automobile, road construction was a top priority, and PCA siezed upon opportunities for paving promotion.

Paving Drives Growth

1920 - 1923

When PCA was founded, there were only about 4,000 miles of concrete paving in the United States.

PCA's Sand Library Made Quality Concrete the Standard

1920

As part of its research into aggregates, PCA founded what came to be known as the sand library.

"Concrete for Permanence"

1918

Shortly after its founding, PCA and member companies adopted the slogan “Concrete for Permanence" for use on ads and other promotional materials. It...

Concrete Down on the Farm

1918 - 1947

Agricultural construction was one of PCA's earliest priorities. In the spring of 1918, PCA formed the Farm and Cement Products Bureau.

"Concrete Roads and Roast Beef"

1918

Shortly after its founding in 1916, PCA launched an advertising campaign in 10 national weeklies, 23 trade magazines, and 59 farm journals.

Duff Abrams' Design of Concrete Mixtures

1918

Duff Abrams was PCA’s first head of research.

"Concrete on the Firing Line"

1918

While most early ad campaigns, focused on paving and infrastructure, national defense also emerged as a promotional theme in these World War I ads.

"More Daylight in a Concrete Building"

1916

PCA's earliest promotion efforts were not limited to paving and infrastructure.

PCA Founded in 1916

1916

In the spring of 1916, meeting at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, cement makers formed the Portland Cement Association “to raise the standard of...

Ben F. Affleck

1916 - 1921

Ben F. Affleck, President of Atlas Universal Cement, served as PCA's first president from 1916-1920

First Design and Control . . . Published

1916

PCA publishes its first edition of Proportioning Concrete Mixtures and Mixing and Placing Concrete.

Congress Passes First Highway Act

1916 - 1918

Congress passes the first federal-aid highway act, setting into motion a network of national highways.

American Concrete Institute

1913

National Association of Cement Users changes its name to the American Concrete Institute.

Monarch Cement Founded

1908

The Monarch Portland Cement Company was founded in 1908 and reorganized in 1913 as The Monarch Cement Company.

Thomas A. Edison

1908

Among cement and concrete pioneers was Thomas Edison.

Nation Association of Cement Users Formed

1905

National Association of Cement Users holds its first convention in Indianapolis.

First Cement Standard

1904

The American Society of Testing and Materials publishes ASTM C-1 Standard Specification for Natural and Portland Cement

Ingalls Building

1903

When the Ingalls Building was first proposed in 1902, some engineers predicted the 16-story building would collapse.

Panama Canal

1903 - 1914

Atlas Cement Company, Northampton , Pennsylvania, supplied the cement for this colossal project - in all, 16 million bags.

American Portland Cement Manufacturers

1902

The first order of business for PCA’s predecessor organization, the American Portland Cement Manufacturers, was not as lofty as research, promotion,...

Robert W. Lesley

1902 - 1916

Robert W. Lesley is widely regarded as the father of the U.S. cement industry.

Lehigh Cement Company Founded

1897

Lehigh Cement Company began as a single-mill operation in Ormrod, Pennsylvania, producing Portland cement.

First Concrete Road

1891

First U.S. concrete road was built in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1891.

Jose de Navarro

1890

In 1889, Jose de Navarro introduced the rotary kiln to the U.S. and in the same year that he founded Keystone Cement Company in the Lehigh Valley.

First Reinforced Concrete Bridge

1889

Earnest L. Ransome built the first reinforced-concrete bridge in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Rotary Kiln Invented

1885

Continuous processing came in 1885 when English engineer F. Ransome invented the rotary kiln.

Ash Grove Cement Founded

1882

The Ash Grove Cement Company started in 1882 in Ash Grove, Missouri, under the name Ash Grove White Lime Association.

Alamo Roman and Portland Cement

1880

Around the same time that Saylor built his first plant, others were experimenting with portland cement formulations and manufacturing operations. Such...

Saylor Builds First U.S. Cement Plant in Copley

1872

In 1872, the first portland cement plant in the U.S. was built by David O. Saylor near Allentown in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.

Birth of the U.S. Cement Industry

1871 - 1890

In the 19th century, demand for cement was driven by construction projects such as the Erie Canal and other waterways, which used cement as a liner.

Builders Turn to Portland Cement

1870

Although natural cement and mortar date back to the Romans and before, by the late 1800s builders were turning to its manufactured counterpart,...

The Rise and Fall of Roman Cement

1870

The use of concrete dates back to the Roman Empire.

1870

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Birth of the U.S. Industry

A New Material for a New Age

Paving Drives Growth

Concrete for Hard Times

Research Builds New Markets

The Age of the Interstate

New Directions

America Rebuilds

Rising to the Occasion

Homing in on Housing

The Greening of Concrete

Today's PCA

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Portland Cement Association Centennial, 1916-2016

In 2016, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) is celebrating its centennial year. During the last 100 years, PCA is widely-recognized as the authority on the technology, economics, and applications of cement and concrete.

The anniversary marks an occasion to not only celebrate the association, but the value of the industry and its products.

Many of the roads and buildings promoted a century ago remain in active use.

Without concrete our homes, roads, schools, and cities would not exist as they are today.

NaN of 141 stories

PCA Releases 16th Edition of Design and...

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