Cast Iron Architecture In America Hardcover by Margot Gayle;Carol Gayle

Product Details

• Publisher: WW Norton (1998-01-06)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 192 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780393730159
• Item Weight: 1057.74 grams
• Dimensions: 0.0 x 0.0 x 0.0 cm

The first book on the life and work of the pioneer of American cast-iron architecture.


Nineteenth-century American inventor and entrepreneur James Bogardus was known for his unique grinding mill and other patented devices, but his enduring claim to fame is his cast-iron structures, forerunners of the modern skyscraper. A passionate advocate for iron's strength, economy, suitability for ornamentation, and fire resistance, he invented several new methods of construction; his buildings rose from New York to San Francisco and Havana. Modern interest in Bogardus stems from the historic preservation movement; his four surviving buildings, in New York, are recognized landmarks.

About the Author

Carol Gayle teaches history at Lake Forest College, Illinois.

Margot Gayle, a nationally known authority on cast-iron architecture, lives in New York City.