Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States of America. His leadership extended from 1801 to 1809 and he principally authored the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Known as a polymath who can speak five languages and read two different others, Jefferson was also known as an accomplished architect who catapulted to popularity the Neo-Palladian style in the United States. His architecture flourished around 1790- 1830.
Jefferson actually was not formally schooled in architecture or draughtmanship. He viewed great European structures extensively instead. One influential architectural inspiration of his was the Maison Carree, an ancient temple building in Nimes, France. Moreover, he was able to develop his style after reading the four architectural books of Andrea Palladio. Palladio was an Italian Renaissance architect. Because Jefferson admired his style, it was adapted in most of his works and, thus, was often referred as “Palladian-inspired”.
The difference between Jefferson’s architecture and Palladio’s was his use of octagonal forms. This became the main characteristic of Jeffersonian architecture. Jefferson used the octagon as a design by figure-halving, elongating and employing them in his creations. Other notable attributes was the use of Chinese railings, the inclusion of Roman temple columns, classical order and moldings, red brick construction and the piano nobile wherein the main floor was raised from the ground level.
There are many Jeffersonian Buildings that are designed and directly and indirectly influenced by Jefferson. Those that were designed by him include the famous Monticello, Poplar Forest, The Lawn or “Academical Village” and The Rotunda in the University of Virginia. Other designed works include Farmington Country Club (Main Portica, Jefferson Room), Barboursville and Nelson County Courthouse grounds.
The Monticello is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is now a National Historic Landmark. This was the estate home of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson began construction in 1768 and delayed finishing it to 1805 due to several remodeling attempts and design changes. Much of the design was borrowed from classical European buildings and was reminiscent of Palladio’s Villa Rotunda. The Monticello site became his burial place.
Poplar Forest was Jefferson’s plantation house. It is located in Forest, Virginia. He used it as a private retreat and became one of his favorite homes. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark and operates as a museum now.
The Lawn or the Academical Village was one of Jefferson’s greatest projects. It is a huge, terraced grassy court at the University of Virginia. The Rotunda, its famous building, was inspired by the Roman Pantheon. The Lawn is used for graduation exercises of the university held every May.
Jeffersonian architecture also showed influence outside of the United States. This can be seen in China’s Tsinghua University in Beijing.
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