Bogardus, James

Bogardus, James

(1800–74) inventor; born in Catskill, N.Y. After serving an apprenticeship in watchmaking, he patented the ring-flyer for cotton-spinning machinery (1830), made engraving machines in England (1836–39), and invented the first dry gas meter (patented, 1834). He erected the world's first cast-iron building—a five-story factory at the corner of Center and Duane Streets in New York City (1848)—and later erected many other iron buildings.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.

Bogardus, James

(1800–1874)

American architect in New York. Awarded a patent for the first complete iron building, Laing Stores in 1848. He also designed Harper and Brothers printing plant in 1854, both in New York City.

Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved