December 28, 2020 www.porcupinesoup.com Tracing Your Roots in Greene County By Sylvia Hasenkopf James Bogardus Catskill native and father of the skyscraper

James Bogardus, inventor, watchmaker, and father of the skyscraper. Who would have thought that James was from Catskill, ? He most certainly was. James was born March 14, 1800 in Catskill, one of six children of John Bogardus and his wife Sara Stockens. As John was a prosperous farmer and could afford to send his children to school, James was educated in the village school in Catskill, likely starting his education around the age of seven. James would have been only seven years old when the Clermont, the first commercial steamboat of the paddlewheel design, churned past Catskill on its inaugural run on August 17, 1807. The innovation and creativity in design likely left an indelible impression on him. Catskill, at the time, was a river port and sloops plied up and down the Hudson, bringing travelers, goods and the mail. The sloops were met by many interested villagers, as this was the prime means of learning the news from afar. It must have been an exciting time for a young boy, with all the activity along the wharves. At the age of fourteen, James took up an apprenticeship under Horace Willard, Catskill’s main jeweler, watch and clock maker, located on Main St. in the village. During his apprenticeship, James soon became skilled in watch work and working in gold and silver. He also learned how to make dyes, engraving in wood, steel and other metals. This skill would serve him well in years to come. When Willard decided to sell his business, James bought out the remaining time of his apprenticeship and set himself up in business in Catskill. James was still a young man, however, and blessed with an adventuring spirit and bounding curiosity, James decided to close up his shop and move to Savannah, GA in 1820. He stayed only a few years, and by the summer of 1823, he had reestablished his watchmaker’s shop in Catskill. But James loved to tinker. He was forever designing new inventions. In 1828 he invented a three wheeled mantle clock, which he patented. He also exhibited the clock at the newly-founded American Institute in New James Bogardus York City, where he won the “highest premium”, the highest recognition possible. The American Institute, founded in 1828, served as a meeting place for men with ideas – men who wanted to use technology to improve everyday life. It served as a means in which inventors could market their ideas to entrepreneurs and businessmen alike. In 1830, the American Institute hired James to create the steel dye of a newly designed medal for the organization. James had the opportunity to use his newly invented dye machine. By all accounts, the medal was exquisite. Over the next forty years James maintained his connection with the American Institute, winning many medals for his inventions. James’ close association with the American Institute allowed him to mingle with other inventors and he was energized and inspired to create even more inventions. However, he felt Catskill was just too far away from , the center of new artistic and industrial innovations, so he closed his business in Catskill once again, and moved to New York City some time in 1829. He never looked back. On February 12, 1831, James married Margaret Maclay, daughter of Scottish born Archibald Maclay, a prominent Baptist pastor of New York City. Margaret was an acclaimed painter in oils as well as miniature portraits and her income was a welcome addition to the family finances during those early years of struggle for James and his inventions. The couple did not have any children that survived infancy and they eventually adopted Margaret’s niece, Harriet Hogg, and reared her as their own daughter. The 1830’s were marred by financial troubles for James, however he continued to produce an astounding number of inventions: devices for watch making (cutting wheels, cutting watch dials), engraving devices, a spinning machine and a mammoth clock, grinding mills, devices for pressing glass, devices for cutting or working with rubber, devices for making postage stamps, an eccentric mill, a mechanical pencil, a gas metering device…. the list goes on and on. Between 1830 and 1850 James was awarded thirteen United States Patents and one British Patent. Not all of James’ inventions were patented, however. In 1836 James sailed for England, in an effort to establish a British Patent for his gas metering device. He was unsuccessful. Expecting to stay only a very short while, James ended up staying in Europe for four years. And these were very formative years for the inventor, which would have a profound impact on American architecture in years to come. England, at the time, was experiencing an industrial boom and many structures were being built using iron. Bridges, aqueducts, railway facilities, shipping docks and columns were being constructed in cast iron. James found this quite fascinating. Before returning to America, James and Margaret decided to undertake a 63 Nassau Street,1857-59, by James Bogardus, Financial Continental tour. It was during their stay in Italy, that James was struck by the District, New York, image by Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons.

www.porcupinesoup.com historic Classical and Renaissance architecture with its “regularity and repetition”. In later years, James would say that it was then that he conceived the idea of using cast iron in the facades of buildings. Unlike Britain, iron was not commonly used in America for structural purposes in the first half of the nineteenth century. Iron was not in plentiful supply locally and had to be imported from abroad. It wasn’t until the 1840’s that domestic sources of iron were discovered. Devastating fires in many cities in the 1820’s and 30’s drove many builders and their clients to seek fireproof or fire-resistant building materials. And that is where James’ unique abilities and vision came into being. He wanted to emulate the architectural designs of antiquity in cast iron in New York City. In an effort to convince the public, investors and builders of his vision he published an article in a New York newspaper in May 1849, stating, “these buildings will sustain a greater weight and are put up with less inconvenience than brick buildings, being cast and fit so that each piece may be put up as fast as it is brought on the ground…. They admit more light, for the iron columns will sustain the weight that would require a wide brick wall in ordinary buildings. They combine beauty with strength, for the panels can be filled with figures to an extent.” Critics fueled the public’s prejudice, predicting that, “iron facades would attract lightening, expand and contract dangerously in sunlight and with temperature changes, melt in fire, or even collapse of their own weight.” But James believed in his idea and he persisted. James’ first commission was the Milhau Pharmacy building. Dr. John Milhau, a respected pharmacist in New York City, wanted to update and enlarge his small building Kitchen, Montross & Wilcox Store, 1861, by at 183 Broadway. He ordered an entire cast iron façade in 1848. This was James’ James Borgardus, Tribeca, New York, image by opportunity to prove that his invention of cast iron facades was safe and viable. Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons.

www.porcupinesoup.com The Milhau Pharmacy building grew in height from three to five stories and where each floor previously had 3 windows, James’ new construction allowed four. This was made possible by the strength of the slender supporting iron columns that were in place between the windows. Upon completion, the Milhau Pharmacy looked like no other building ever built before. James went on to build the Laing Stores facades and then his own cast iron factory on Duane St. The speed with which the buildings were constructed amazed many. James realized that he needed to patent his invention and on February 9, 1850 he submitted an application to the United States Patent Office. The application claimed that his invention of a building system was novel in five ways: the frame, the floor, the roof, the modular construction of the exterior walls and the use of open beams. Patent No. 7,337, entitled, “Construction of the Frame, Roof and Floor of Iron Buildings” was awarded to James Bogardus. It recognized three of the five novel ways claimed by James. In very short order, other cast iron manufacturers began to develop new methods and systems for building cast iron facades that circumvented James’ patent. By 1855 there were seven new patents by other inventors relating to iron front construction. Competitive exploitation had begun. James flung himself into the business of building iron clad buildings. He placed a plaque on his buildings that stated: James Bogardus, originator and constructor of Iron Buildings, New York. James built more than thirty iron clad structures in the 1850’s. Not only did he construct buildings and factories, he also constructed seven story fire towers for the City of New York and other towers for various industries. In 1862 he built his last iron clad building. By this time James was sixty-two and he spent the last decade of his life doing what he loved the most – inventing things! James Bogardus died at his home on 14th St. in New York City on April 13, 1874 and was buried in the idyllic Green- wood Cemetery in . His obituary in the Scientific American acclaims him as “an inventor celebrated both for the multiplicity and variety as well as the value of his productions…the record of his life is one of continuous labors repeatedly crowned with substantial success, of a versatile genius which devoted himself to the origination of Hopkins Store, , 1857-58 by James Bogardus, Tribeca, New York, image by Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons.

www.porcupinesoup.com of devices in widely differing arts and industries, and finally of unremitting toil in the search for the new and useful.” Few of James’ iron clad buildings have withstood the test of time. Fire and changing architectural tastes and needs have resulted in the loss of most of the buildings. However, a few have survived. The Iron Clad building in Cooperstown, listed on the National Historic Register still stands, as does the old Hopkins building on 75 Murray St. and the building at 63 Nassau St. in New York City. The height of buildings before the invention of the cast iron facades was limited. The weight of the construction material, whether brick, stone or wood became too great at a certain point to remain stable, so the height of buildings was limited to a few stories. Without a doubt, James proved that buildings could be made lighter and quicker using iron structures. His seven story fire towers soared over all surrounding buildings of the day and proved that building “up” was possible. By 1884, the world’s first true skyscraper had been built in Chicago. The ten story Home Insurance Building had a steel frame that supported the entire weight of the walls, instead of load bearing walls carrying the weight of the building. James’ vision of iron clad buildings was the forerunner of 254-60 Canal Street, 1856-57, by James Bogardus, Chinatown, New York, image this building style. That’s why he is called the father of the by Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons. skyscraper.

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