A happy 4th of July everyone. Thomas Jefferson, primary signer of the document we celebrate today, was also America’s first home grown architect. He was self-taught; devoted to studying The Four Books of Architecture by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. His work is a blend of Roman classicism and the French design he absorbed while Minister to France from 1784-1789.

The foremost of Jefferson’s architectural legacy is Monticello, his primary residence, and Poplar Forest, his private retreat, built when he was in his 60’s. Poplar Forest incorporated much French design with floor to ceiling windows, bed alcoves, skylights, and indoor baths. The father of what would become the iconic American villa, he also designed the Virginia State Capitol and the University of Virginia.