J. Rich Steers

J. Rich Steers, Inc. was a prominent New York contracting company whose work centered on difficult waterfront and heavy civil-engineering projects. The business was first incorporated in 1904 as Henry Steers, Inc. and adopted the J. Rich Steers name in 1929 under the ownership of James Rich Steers Jr. It formed part of a much older Steers maritime tradition that connected shipbuilding, naval architecture, towing, aggregates, and construction in Britain and the United States. The company's principal market was the New York metropolitan area, particularly the harbor, riverfront, and transportation infrastructure surrounding New York City and northern New Jersey. Its capabilities included marine foundations, bridge and pier construction, tunnels, bulkheads, docks, flood-control structures, sewer and drainage works, pile driving, and other projects requiring large floating equipment and specialized construction crews. The firm frequently worked through partnerships or joint ventures with other contractors and drew personnel from military, railroad, utility, and related construction backgrounds. At its peak it employed more than 350 people. Among its New York-area work were major portions of East River Drive, the Hunts Point Sewage Treatment Plant in the Bronx, flood-prevention works at LaGuardia Airport, and the Cross Bay Boulevard Bridge connecting Queens with the Rockaways. In New Jersey, the company built foundations for the former Central Railroad of New Jersey Newark Bay Bridge, constructed foundations for bulk oil tanks associated with Public Service Electric and Gas, and rapidly rebuilt a burned railway trestle in Matawan in 1946. Its wider American portfolio included foundation work for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the Texas Tower 4 military installation, the Queens-side anchorage of the Throgs Neck Bridge, and the Commodore Barry Bridge over the Delaware River. The company also participated in national defense and overseas reconstruction. During the First World War, while still operating under the Henry Steers name, it became involved in a labor dispute over the allocation of carpentry work on Army barracks at Pelham Bay. During the Second World War, it worked with Walsh Construction in Jersey City to assemble landing craft and build landing craft tank vessels for the United States Navy. In 1946, J. Rich Steers and related harbor businesses were placed under federal transportation control during a period of labor disruption. After the war, the company joined overseas harbor reconstruction in Greece, helped rebuild the Corinth Canal, and constructed a Voice of America radio station in Tangier, Morocco. J. Rich Steers maintained a substantial equipment fleet, including cranes, floating derricks, pile drivers, more than 50 deck scows, and approximately 10 tugboats. Its namesake vessel, the tug J. Rich Steers, served as the fleet's flagship. The related Steers Sand and Gravel Company operated a plant in Northport, New York, from 1923, while Steers Towing Company was established in 1934. A major maritime tragedy occurred in 1962 when the Steers Sand and Gravel tug MV Gwendoline Steers sank in Long Island Sound during a sudden winter storm, with all crew members lost. The business reported $26 million in contracts in 1963 and continued undertaking major regional projects into the 1970s, including the Commodore Barry Bridge in 1974. It ceased operations in 1986. Most of its construction equipment was subsequently acquired by Weeks Marine in Cranford, New Jersey. The company's institutional legacy continues through the J. Rich Steers Award, presented by the New York City Post of the Society of American Military Engineers for academic performance showing promise for further engineering study and professional practice.

The J. Rich Steers business emerged from a longstanding maritime family tradition. Members of the Steers family had pursued maritime activities in England and the United States for generations, with historical associations extending to the Plymouth Royal Dockyards. In 1817, naval architect Henry Steers moved to New York with his sons James Rich Steers and George Steers. The brothers later co-founded George Steers and Co., the boatbuilding business associated with George's design of the yacht America, which won the first America's Cup race. This background gave the family experience in shipbuilding, marine engineering, and harbor work before the later contracting enterprise developed. The contracting company was incorporated in 1904 as Henry Steers, Inc. James Rich Steers Jr. became its owner and the company was renamed J. Rich Steers, Inc. in 1929. Its work concentrated on major civil and marine projects where conventional building contractors lacked the equipment or expertise to operate in water, unstable ground, or heavily industrial settings. The company assembled a workforce that included people with military, railroad, utility, and construction experience. Its Manhattan offices and related businesses were located at 17 Battery Place in lower Manhattan. During the First World War, the company attracted public attention through a labor dispute associated with Army cantonment construction at Pelham Bay. Union carpenters and the AFL argued that ironworkers had been assigned work belonging to carpenters. Steers eventually agreed to employ carpenters, bringing the stoppage to an end and reducing the risk of a much larger strike affecting military construction. In the interwar period, the company expanded both its operating capabilities and its related businesses. Steers Sand and Gravel Company maintained a Northport, Long Island, plant from 1923, and Steers Towing Company was founded in 1934. J. Rich Steers itself undertook work across the New York waterfront and adjacent states. Its projects included East River Drive, the Hunts Point Sewage Treatment Plant, flood-protection works at LaGuardia Airport, and the Cross Bay Boulevard Bridge. It also built foundations for the Newark Bay Bridge, industrial oil-storage tanks for PSE&G, and other major transportation and utility works. The Second World War broadened the company's naval role. In partnership with Walsh Construction, it assembled landing craft and constructed landing craft tanks at a Jersey City facility for the United States Navy. In 1946, the federal government placed J. Rich Steers and approximately 90 other New York harbor companies, including its sand-and-gravel and towing affiliates, under the Office of Defense Transportation. The measure responded to labor strikes and disputes that were disrupting essential transportation and harbor operations. After the war, the firm undertook international projects connected with reconstruction and Cold War communications. Working with Grove, Shephard, Wilson & Kruge, it rebuilt harbors in Greece, reconstructed the Corinth Canal for the United States Navy, and constructed a Voice of America radio station in Tangier, Morocco. Its domestic work continued with the Sewaren Generating Station dock, bulkhead, and dike in 1948; the Queens anchorage of the Throgs Neck Bridge in 1961; foundation work for the Texas Tower 4 military installation; Chesapeake Bay Bridge foundations; and the Commodore Barry Bridge, completed in 1974. The company's marine specialization depended on an extensive fleet. It operated cranes, floating derricks, pile drivers, deck scows, and roughly 10 tugboats, led by the vessel named J. Rich Steers. The fleet's operation also exposed the related businesses to maritime hazards. In 1962, the tug MV Gwendoline Steers sank in a severe Long Island Sound storm and all hands were lost. By 1963, the company reported $26 million in contracts, but it ultimately ceased operations in 1986. Most of its equipment was transferred to Weeks Marine. Its name survives institutionally through the J. Rich Steers Award of the New York City Post of the Society of American Military Engineers, which recognizes academic achievement and potential in engineering.

• 1986

  Operations cease

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  J. Rich Steers ceased operations; much of its equipment later went to Weeks Marine.

• 1974

  Commodore Barry Bridge work

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The company completed significant work on the Commodore Barry Bridge over the Delaware River.

• 1963

  Reported $26 million contract backlog

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The company reported $26 million in contracts.

• 1962

  Loss of MV Gwendoline Steers

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The related company's tug sank in Long Island Sound during a winter storm, with no survivors reported.

• 1961

  Throgs Neck Bridge anchorage

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  J. Rich Steers built the Queens-side anchorage for the Throgs Neck Bridge.

• 1948

  Sewaren Generating Station waterfront works

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The company constructed the station's dock, bulkhead, and dike on the Arthur Kill.

• 1946

  Federal control of harbor operations

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  J. Rich Steers and related harbor companies were placed under the Office of Defense Transportation during labor disruption.

• 1939

  Cross Bay Boulevard Bridge project

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The company participated in construction of the bridge linking Queens and the Rockaways.

• 1934

  Steers Towing Company founded

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The family's related maritime businesses expanded with the creation of a towing company.

• 1929

  Company renamed J. Rich Steers, Inc.

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  Under owner James Rich Steers Jr., the company adopted the J. Rich Steers name.

• 1923

  Steers Sand and Gravel begins Northport operations

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The related Steers Sand and Gravel Company operated a plant in Northport, New York.

• 1904

  Incorporation as Henry Steers, Inc.

  [1]J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org

  The contracting business was incorporated under the Henry Steers name.

A specialist heavy civil contractor built around maritime construction, difficult foundations, waterfront infrastructure, and large public or industrial works.

• Marine infrastructure

  Waterfront and harbor construction

  The company's core offering was heavy construction in and around navigable water. It built docks, bulkheads, dikes, piers, harbor works, flood-protection structures, and other marine facilities, using floating derricks, deck scows, pile drivers, cranes, and tugboats. This capability supported projects for municipal agencies, utilities, transportation authorities, and the military.

• Heavy civil construction

  Bridge and foundation construction

  J. Rich Steers performed foundations, anchorages, and related structural work for major bridges and transportation links. Its documented projects included the Newark Bay Bridge, Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Cross Bay Boulevard Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge, and Commodore Barry Bridge. These contracts required deep foundations, marine access, heavy lifting, and work in active waterways or unstable ground.

• Civil and utility infrastructure

  Industrial and public infrastructure

  The contractor also handled large industrial and public works, including sewer and drainage systems, sewage-treatment facilities, flood-control installations, utility foundations, oil-storage tank foundations, roads, and transportation structures. Examples included the Hunts Point Sewage Treatment Plant, LaGuardia Airport flood-prevention works, and foundations for PSE&G bulk oil tanks.

• Defense infrastructure

  Military and naval construction

  During wartime and the postwar period, J. Rich Steers supported military infrastructure and naval construction. It helped build Army barracks, assembled landing craft and constructed landing craft tanks in Jersey City, worked on Texas Tower 4, and participated in reconstruction of the Corinth Canal for the United States Navy.

• 1946

  Acceptance of federal transportation controlOther

  Background

  Strikes and labor disputes disrupted New York harbor transportation after the war.

  Action taken

  J. Rich Steers and related harbor companies were placed under the Office of Defense Transportation by executive order.

  Aftermath

  The measure temporarily brought the affected businesses under federal operational control.

  Source

• 1942

  Expansion into landing-craft productionStrategy

  Background

  The Second World War created demand for specialized naval construction and invasion craft.

  Action taken

  In partnership with Walsh Construction, the company assembled landing craft and built landing craft tank vessels at Jersey City.

  Aftermath

  The work established a significant wartime relationship with the United States Navy.

  Source

• 1929

  Adoption of the J. Rich Steers nameStrategy

  Background

  The business had operated since 1904 as Henry Steers, Inc. and was controlled by James Rich Steers Jr.

  Action taken

  The company changed its corporate name to J. Rich Steers, Inc.

  Aftermath

  The new name became associated with the family's expanding heavy marine and civil-construction operations.

  Source

1. 1J. Rich Steersen.wikipedia.org