102. Monticello, Virginia, US Thomas Jefferson (architect) 1768-1809 CE Brick, glass, stone, and wood.

• Form
  • Monticello is a brick building with stucco applied to the trim to give the effect of marble
  • It appears to be a one-story building with a dome, but the balustrade hides a modest second floor
  • The octagonal doe functions as an office or retreat
  • The rooms generally have a symmetrical design
  • Tall French doors and windows allow air circulation in hot Virginia summers
  • Jefferson was concerned with saving space: very narrow spiral staircases; beds in alcoves or in walls between rooms
• Function
  • Chief building on Jefferson’s plantation, supported by slave labor
• Context
  • Monticello is “little mountain” in Italian, sited on a hilltop in Virginia
  • Inspired by books by the Italian Renaissance architect Palladio and by Roman ruins Jefferson saw in France
  • The design is also impacted by eighteenth-century French buildings in Paris
  • Illustrates the Roman Republican goals of equality and democracy expressed in this adaptation of Roman architectural themes.