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 (now the Renwick 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.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Architecture: Biographies
