James Renwick Jr.

Title

James Renwick Jr.

Description

James Renwick Jr. won the 1846 competition to design the first Smithsonian Institution building. His design drew heavily from architectural styles of 12th-century Europe that gave the building a castle-like appearance. Although Renwick took pains to design the building to be fireproof, a fire destroyed part of the structure in 1865. In 1874, he completed the first Corcoran Gallery located on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. That building now bears his name and is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Source

Smithsonian Institution Archives. View original image.

Coverage

First Name

James

Last Name

Renwick

Birth Date

11/01/1818

Birthplace

New York City

Death Date

06/23/1895

Occupation

Biographical Text

James Renwick, Jr was born in New York to well-connected and well-educated parents. His father was a professor at Columbia College (today Columbia University) where James, Jr started at the age of 12. Renwick earned both a Bachelors and Masters degree from Columbia in engineering. After graduating, he was hired as a structural engineer for the Erie Railroad.

In 1843, Renwick won a competition to design a new Grace Church, a wealthy Episcopal parish in New York City. Following its completion, Renwick received commissions to design and build other structures, including many churches, in New York City. Based on these successes, he was invited to enter the design competition held in 1846 to select an architect for the newly-created Smithsonian Institution. Renwick won the competition and designed the original building with features reminiscent of a Gothic European castle.

Renwick continued to have a successful career, designing buildings in a variety of architectural styles. In addition to the Smithsonian Castle, Renwick is well known for designing Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City

Description

James Renwick Jr. won the 1846 competition to design the first Smithsonian Institution building. His design drew heavily from architectural styles of 12th-century Europe that gave the building a castle-like appearance. Although Renwick took pains to design the building to be fireproof, a fire destroyed part of the structure in 1865. In 1874, he completed the first Corcoran Gallery located on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. That building now bears his name and is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Creator

James Renwick Jr.

Birth Date

11/01/1818

Death Date

06/23/1895

Coverage

1830-1859

Source

Smithsonian Institution Archives. View original image.