Thomas Jefferson's architectural achievement, often obscured by his accomplishments as a statesman, is one of the more remarkable facets of his amazing genius. Had he not entered politics, he might be remembered as the first truly American architect. As it is, although there have been many books on his life as a statesman, this is the first complete study of all his known architectural work. The authors examine every facet of Jefferson's career, the influences that shaped his distinctive style, and the effect his work had upon the architecture of his day. Following a brief history of Jefferson's early life, his education, and his development as an architect, the authors present, in text and pictures, a review of his career as it is represented by the graceful buildings that made his reputation. Here are his famous triumphs: Monticello, the University of Virginia, Montpelier, Belle Grove, Edgemont, and many other fine houses and public buildings, some now vanished and others still in use as private homes or as frequently visited historic landmarks. To illustrate the text, they have brought together an array of plans,drawings, and engravings that intimately reveal the progress of Jefferson's creative inspiration. To these they have added photographs, many especially taken for this book, of the buildings Jefferson designed as they look today. Thomas Jefferson's architecture, peculiarly at home in the American scene, is still admired and imitated. The vigor and beauty, the practical simplicity of his architecture reflect the order and elegance of his genius as a statesman. Amateurs of American history as well as students of architecture will find much in these pages to enlarge their view of the man who was to become the third President of the United States and the first to be inaugurated in Washington, the great city he had helped to plan. -- from dust jacket.
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