Renwick, James

Renwick, James, 1818–95, American architect, b. New York City, grad. Columbia, 1836. His design for Grace Church (1843–46) in New York City was followed by that for St. Patrick's Cathedral; he was chosen as architect for the cathedral in 1853, and it was dedicated in 1879, the most ambitious essay in Gothic that the revival of the style produced. In Washington he built the original Corcoran Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution. Other of his works were the first building of Vassar College and the distribution reservoir for the Croton Aqueduct in New York.

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Renwick, James (1818–95) architect; born in New York City. Famous for their stylistic versatility and mechanical and material innovations, his many buildings include Grace Church (1843–46) and St. Patrick's Cathedral (1858–88), New York, and the Smithsonian "Castle" (1847–55), Washington, D.C.