Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest: A Home Away From Home

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit the third president’s retreat property.

Poplar Forest’s octagonal shape is most prominent from an aerial view. Balanced aesthetics are also evident in the four brick chimneys and placement of windows and columns. It appears as a one-story structure, but is actually two stories. Its roof is outlined by a railing supported by classic balustrades. On the slate roof is another crisscross design railing protecting a skylight. Courtesy of Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest

One of the most recognizable homes in the United States, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello has welcomed over 25 million visitors since it opened as a museum in the early 1900s. Even when the third president and author of the Declaration of Independence was alive, his home was often a revolving door of visitors.

Lesser known is Jefferson’s retreat home. Called Poplar Forest, the Bedford County, Virginia home is nearly 90 miles south of Monticello. The 4,819-acre tract was once a functioning tobacco plantation, and the two-story, brick house served as Jefferson’s hideaway and respite after he completed his presidential duties in 1809.

Similar to Monticello in its iconic dome and rooms, Poplar Forest also incorporated Monticello’s octagonal shape. In fact, the overall architectural design is four extended octagons surrounding a square foundation.

Jefferson’s Poplar Forest home design was inspired by the 1st-century Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy, which 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio captured in many drawings. Poplar Forest integrates Renaissance architectural elements—highlighting geometry and symmetry—and 18th-century French neoclassical styles, apparent in its alcove beds and triple-sash windows.

Although Jefferson’s Poplar Forest retreat home experienced fire damage in the mid-1800s, the National Historic Landmark home was restored, preserved, and is open to the public year-round.

Poplar Forest's entrance columns and their capitals are of the Tuscan order, meaning they are plain and without embellishment. Other important aspects of the design are two porches, two pavilions, and six doorways. The main ornamentations visible from both the outside and inside are the classic half-circle fanlights in the pediment and in the east and west chamber extensions. Courtesy of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

An arcade breezeway, with brick columns and a brick and stone walkway, extends from the east chamber side of Poplar Forest. Off the covered breezeway is a wing of rooms used for a variety of purposes, including storage, cooking, canning, and laundry. This long addition, added in 1814, has roof drains installed into the terrace above so that rainwater doesn't collect. Acroterion/CC BY-SA 4.0

The parlor’s elongated octagonal ceiling is its focal point. The distinct floor-to-ceiling triple-sash windows are intended not only to allow light to fill the large space, but to also open for breezes during warm summer months by being used as doors. An entablature with a frieze design complements the one in the dining room next door. The parlor frieze design was inspired by the Roman temple of Fortuna Virilis. (The Old Major/Shutterstock) Courtesy of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

The skylight-lit dining room’s Doric Order ceiling entablature, topped with pearl-design molding, was inspired by the Baths of Diocletian (ancient Roman public baths). The walls are painted a high-gloss charcoal gray. Jefferson’s carpenter, John Hemmings, crafted the walnut doors. The room also features a unique corner fireplace and mantle as well as overstated pediments above the doors. Courtesy of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

The series of rooms off the covered brick breezeway were intended for utilitarian purposes, such as cooking. The rooms were kept simple and functional, with brick floors and walls to diminish the risk of fire and to also keep spaces warm in the winter. Double-hung, paned windows allow fresh air to circulate in warm weather. The kitchen's unique coal-burning masonry stoves, made of brick and cast iron, have cast iron grates and baskets for the coal ash to fall into. Acroterion/CC BY-SA 4.0

Jefferson desired that his house be flooded with light during the day for reading, working on inventions, and writing. In addition to the Poplar Forest retreat's large windows, a narrow central 16-foot long skylight was built over the dining room. An entablature (molded panel) below the skylight includes a frieze of classical column designs as well as ox skulls and cherubs. Courtesy of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

Even the brick outhouse, or privy, at Poplar Forest sports a geometric octagonal architectural design with an octagonally-faceted, cedar-shake dome cap. Jefferson’s extensive library of architectural books and his self-taught knowledge of architecture led him to lend his expertise in not only designing his own structures, but also ones for family members and the public. Many incorporate the octagonal shape in the overall architectural plan or interior rooms. Edited photo/CC BY-SA 3.0

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