Helen Goodwin Renwick was one of Claremont's first philanthropists, a published poet, a patron of the arts, a world traveler, an active member of her church, and the sponsor of many of Claremont's early social and cultural events. A native of Akron, Ohio, she studied music at Oberlin College, married lumber magnate William Renwick and, after his death, moved to Claremont in 1895 to raise her only son. In 1900, she built the house now known as Renwick House and lived there for the remainder of her life, opening her home on countless occasions for functions involving artists and students. She took a special interest in projects benefiting the community, Pomona College, and foreign missions. Later in life, she focused most of her energies on poetry, publishing two books, Childhood in Poetry in 1928 and Heaven's Own Mosaic in 1929. Her gifts to Pomona College led to the institution's first gymnasium and the land for its first art building, Rembrandt Hall, built in 1914. She also donated the land for Claremont's first public library and helped found what would eventually become today's Pilgrim Place, a retirement community for people who have devoted their lives to religious or charitable organizations. Her contributions to town, church, and college made her one of Claremont's most influential early twentieth-century citizens.