Monticello: A Presidential Residence in Virginia

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit Thomas Jefferson’s classical home.

Jefferson’s design called for precise symmetry, with the West Portico’s front door and the pediment over it aligning exactly with the pediment over the four columns. The decorative façade elements of cornices and column-like molding friezes are derived from classical Roman buildings. Chimneys from six of the eight fireplaces are visible from the West Portico exterior view. N8Allen/Shutterstock

Most well-known American structures were designed by noteworthy architects, although it was traveler, bibliophile, American president, and self-taught architect Thomas Jefferson who was responsible for the distinct architecture of his home, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Begun in the 1770s, work on the home would grow into a project lasting 40 years, resulting in 11,000 square feet of space and 43 rooms, from the cellar to the third floor as well as a pavilion and terrace.

The original simple, two-story brick structure eventually incorporated French and Italian neoclassical elements, including the domed roof, four Doric columns, and matching semicircle windows over the front door. The home also has 12 skylights and an oculus, which is an opening at the apex of the dome.

Monticello is perhaps the most recognizable of American residences since its image first appeared on the nickel in 1938.

An intricate cherry and beechwood parquet floor and triple-sash windows set the ambiance for this multi-purpose parlor. It was used for reading, game playing, socializing, music, and more. Decorative moldings over windows complement ornate ceiling moldings; uniquely, the molding designs are derived from the Corinthian temple of Antoninus and Faustina in Rome, and they showcase utilitarian images, such as urns, tools, and the classic rosette. Hanging from a near-ceiling brass picture frame rod and in tiers around the room are paintings of people whom Jefferson admired, including a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. (Thomas Jefferson Foundation)   

Brightly painted a vibrant yellow, the Monticello Dining Room includes pediment-topped windows with a band of ornamented molding that mirrors the classical column-centric crown molding. Double pocket doors on rollers separate the Dining Room from the Tea Room, and the wide tri-molding doorway features a prominent keystone in the center of a low arch. Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Jefferson displayed artifacts, maps, and paintings in a suite of rooms that includes the library. Regal entryways open up each room, such as this one featuring hand-crafted flanking columns topped with a Tuscan-style elliptical arch and a centerpiece keystone. Thomas Jefferson Foundation

The Cabinet, part of a private suite of rooms, served as a study in which Jefferson spent time reading, keeping precise notes about the weather, and managing his plantation. Flooding the room with natural light is one of several pairs of windows, as well as a French door leading to the South Venetian Porch. On display on the main round table in the room is a device to duplicate letters. Also noteworthy in the room is the Jefferson-designed walnut revolving stand that can hold up to five books and letters. Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Famously, Jefferson designed and designated a bedroom for another Founding Father. The Madison Room, named for James and Dolley Madison, is a simple but comfortable space, also known as the north octagonal room, and defined by the octagonal-shaped ceiling, wide door, and baseboard moldings, with a curtained, alcove bed. The mantel-less brick fireplace is trimmed in white marble and adorned with a brass floor screen. A reproduced-from-the-original French trellis wallpaper design is the only ornamentation above the white-painted chair railing. Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Red silk curtains and bedding against blue-painted walls dramatize Thomas Jefferson’s private bed chamber, which includes—like many of Monticello’s bedrooms—an alcove bed. Round porthole windows at the top of the high ceiling ventilate the room, while the tray ceiling is distinguished by stacked dental and decorative moldings, the latter of which is bedecked with a repeating classical festooned garland motif. Thomas Jefferson Foundation

The various gardens at Monticello were considered a botanic showpiece in that many varieties of both ornamental and useful plants displayed in its gardens were from around the world and new to American gardens. These included tomatoes, rutabagas, artichokes, eggplants, broccoli, cauliflower, lima beans, and peanuts. The vegetable garden was located on a 1,000-foot retaining wall terrace. The focal point is a 13-foot-6-inch square brick pavilion with arched windows and a keystone-adorned brick arch over the windows. A border of lattice frames the roof. Billy Hathorn/CC BY-SA 3.0

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