James Bogardus Explained

James Bogardus
Birth Date:	1800 3, mf=y
Birth Place:	Catskill, New York, U.S.
Death Place:	New York City, New York, U.S.
Spouse:	Margaret MacClay
Known For:	Cast-iron

James Bogardus (March 14, 1800 – April 13, 1874) was an American inventor and architect, the pioneer of American cast-iron architecture, for which he took out a patent in 1850.

Early life

Bogardus was born in the town of Catskill in New York on March 14, 1800. He was a descendant of the Rev. Everardus Bogardus (d. 1647), the second clergyman in New York.

At the age of fourteen, Bogardus quit school to start an apprenticeship at a watchmaker.^[1]

Career

Bogardus was working in Savannah, Georgia, during 1822 and 1823.^[2]

In 1828, Bogardus invented a cotton-spinning machine called a ring flier.^[3] In 1831, he invented a mechanized engraving machine that was employed for engraving dies for bank notes. He also invented the eccentric mill in 1832, which is still used in principle for fine finish of ball bearings, and, with variable eccentricity, for lens grinding.^[4]

Bogardus attached plaques to his cast-ironwork that read: "James Bogardus Originator & Patentee of Iron Buildings Pat' May 7, 1850."^[5] He demonstrated the use of cast-iron in the construction of building facades, especially in New York City for the next two decades. He was based in New York, but also worked in Washington, DC, where three cast-iron structures erected by Bogardus in 1851 were the first such constructions in the capital. The success of the cast-iron exteriors from 1850 to 1880 led to the adoption of steel-frame construction for entire buildings.^[6]

Personal life

He married Margaret MacClay (1803–1878), the daughter of Daughter of Rev. Archibald Maclay, in 1831. Margaret worked as an artist and two portrait miniatures by her are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[7]

Bogardus died in New York City aged 74. Bogardus is interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.^[8]

Legacy

A small park in TriBeCa, where Chambers Street, Hudson Street and West Broadway intersect, is named James Bogardus Triangle.^[9]

Bogardus buildings

• 63 Nassau Street
• 254 Canal Street
• 75 Murray Street
• 85 Leonard Street
• Iron Clad Building, Cooperstown, New York (92 Main St, Cooperstown, NY)

Further reading

• Margot Gayle and Carol Gayle. Cast-Iron Architecture in America: The Significance of James Bogardus (New York: Norton) 1998.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Men of Progress. americanhistory.si.edu. National Museum of American History. 29 August 2017. en.
2. Book: Kelley, David E. . Building Savannah . 2000 . Arcadia Publishing . 978-0-7385-0573-2 . 21 . en.
3. Book: Hanson. John Wesley. Progress of the Nineteenth Century: A Panoramic Review of the Inventions and Discoveries of the Past Hundred Years .... 1900. J. L. Nichols. 29 August 2017. en.
4. Web site: James Bogardus Spandrel Panel from Edgar H. Laing Stores American The Met. metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 29 August 2017.
5. Streetscapes/75 Murray Street; Bought for Its Site, the Rundown Loft Is a Gem, by CHRISTOPHER GRAY, New York Times, October 30, 1994 https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E6DE113FF933A05753C1A962958260
6. Book: Winters. Alfred. Winters. Eleanor. Exploring New York's SoHo. 2012. Arcadia Publishing. 9781614237020. 29 August 2017. en.
7. Carrie Rebora Barratt and Lori Zabar, American Portrait Miniatures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, p.162-3
8. Web site: JAMES BOGARDUS (1800-1874) Green-Wood. www.green-wood.com. 26 November 2010 . 29 August 2017.
9. Book: Rosenberg. Andrew. Dunford. Martin. The Rough Guide to New York. 2011. Penguin. 9781848365902. 29 August 2017. en.