Chas. Bent (c. 1899)	H. Stanley Bent (c. 1899)	Arthur S. Bent (not pictured)

As general contractors, the Bent Brothers helped transform Los Angeles from a sleepy town to a major city. Their involvement in construction engineering, notably of dams, made them significant forces in the development of Southern California.

After completing the construction of the Lake Hodges Dam in 1919, the Bent Brothers worked on other dam projects, such as Exchequer Dam at Lake McClure in Snelling, CA (near Merced) (1925).
	"General view of construction Camp at EXCHEQUER DAM BENT BROS. CONTRACTORS, LOS ANGELES 4-11-25"

Construction photo of the Devil's Gate Dam in Pasadena, CA

Completed Devil's Gate Dam in Pasadena, CA

The Bent Brothers also completed other large conrete construction projects such as the Macy Street (now Cesar Chavez Avenue) Undercrossing at Union Station in Los Angeles (1931). The Macy Street Undercrossing (Department Bridge No. 53C-131) carries vehicular traffic under the Union Station tracks. Its main span is a reinforced-concrete, earth-filled, elliptical 68-foot-long arch. The bridge is 56 feet wide, with one span 30 feet long. It allows for four lanes of traffic to pass underneath the arch span. It features an arched-window rail, with rough concrete texture. Its design is very similar to the Vignes Street Bridge and retaining walls at Union Station. The Macy Street Undercrossing was designed by Merrill Butler.

The Bent Brothers were also involved in the community. In Los Angeles on June 29th 1920 the first California Chapter of Associated General Contractors was chartered with Arthur S. Bent, one of the original 97 founding fathers of AGC of America, serving as president. In 1922, Arthur Bent was to be sworn in as the first Californian to serve as president of AGC of America. He was also a member of the Los Angeles Rotary.

As the Bent Brothers were fairly significant employers of labor in the Los Angeles area, in the April 30, 1929 edition of the Los Angeles Times, Arthur S. Bent was quoted regarding a proposed bill that would limit immigration by Mexicans into the United States:

"Some big public jobs will be crippled to such an extent that they will become almost impossible to complete, while others will not be undertaken at all, if the bill to prohibit the employment of aliens by contractors is made into law."

The Bent Brothers' father, Ernest Bent, was involved with the creation of the Los Angeles Public Library and Pomona College (47). Both of the Bent brothers went to Pomona College.

The Bent families lived in Highland Park, Los Angeles, near what is now the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 110. Their homes were designated historic/cultural monuments in 1988. Their original houses can be found at:

Ernest Bent - 4200 Glenalbyn Drive, Highland Park, CA 90065
H. Stanley Bent - 4201 Glenalbyn Drive, Highland Park, CA 90065