James Renwick (November 1, 1818 — June 23, 1895) was one of the most influential, accomplished, and skilled American architects of the 19th century. Largely self-taught, he lived and worked most of his life in this area, where his family had deep roots (they were relatives of the landowning Brevoorts). One of his first commissions, Grace Church, is considered among the first to introduce the Gothic Revival style to America, and is still considered one of the style’s greatest examples. While Renwick earned high profile commissions across the country — including St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. — nowhere is his work more represented than in this area south of Union Square, where he designed no fewer than six buildings within a block of the intersection of Broadway and 11th Street, and designed dozens more nearby, including the still-extant ‘Renwick Row’ and ‘Renwick Triangle.’ Click here to send a letter supporting landmark designation of these and other historic buildings south of Union Square.