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.