Benjamin Latrobe

          In 1795, Englishman Benjamin Latrobe moved to America seeking a better life. His wife Lydia had just died in child birth, architectural commissions were low due to war, and he had his mother's inheritance to claim in Norfolk, Virginia. In the United States, he was quickly recognized by noble people for his architectural and engineering abilities; these nobles included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. In 1803, Benjamin Latrobe was deemed Surveyor of Public Buildings and Grounds by Thomas Jefferson. Over his 25 years in America, Latrobe designed many important buildings, and having studied in England, Germany, and France, Latrobe brought with him the influences of English, German, and French architecture. Latrobe was the first professionally trained architect in the United States, and his European influences inspired his Greek Revival and Neoclassical architectural works.
        Latrobe created many Greek Revival and Neoclassical buildings in America. One of his first masterpieces was the Bank of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was constructed from 1798 to 1802, and it displayed characteristics of Greek Revival architecture. Greek Revival buildings have pedimented gables, symmetrical shapes, heavy cornice, wide, plain friezes, bold, simple moldings, and entry porches with columns. The Bank of Pennsylvania displays all of these characteristics. Furthermore, a Neoclassical building Benjamin Latrobe designed was the United States Capitol Building. Latrobe oversaw the construction of the original Capitol Building in 1803. He reluctantly followed William Thornton's architectural plans. In 1814, the original Capitol was burned down by the British; thus, in 1815, Latrobe was rehired to rebuild the important American building. He was given more freedom this time around, and he designed the building using a Neoclassical style. Neoclassical structures have symmetrical shapes, columns, triangular pediments, and domes. The US Capitol Building includes each of the Neoclassical aspects. 
       Latrobe may have designed in Neoclassical and Greek Revival styles, but some characteristics of his buildings display other features. On the Bank of Pennsylvania, Latrobe stuck with the Greek Revival aspects, but he added a cupola. On the US Capitol Building, Latrobe went without columns that rise to full height of the building. Usually, columns on a Neoclassical structure rise to the building's full height. On this building, the columns do not. Latrobe's buildings do not purely represent his architectural design styles. 
      Overall, Benjamin Latrobe was the first professionally trained architect in America, and he used his European influences to design in Greek Revival and Neoclassical styles. Latrobe came to America in search of a better life for himself. He started off here with a clean slate and rose to the top; he became a man of prestige in the United States. Latrobe died a successful man in New Orleans on September 3, 1820. 

United States Capitol 

Bank of Pennsylvania 

Baltimore Basilica

Famous Architects

Frank Lloyd Wright

1. In 1915, the Japanese Emperor commissioned Wright to design the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. He worked on it for 7 years.

2. Wright designed in 36 states, the majority in Illinois and Wisconsin  He also designed in England, Japan, and Canada.










Antoni Gaudi


1. Gaudi did not like to draw plan for his buildings. He preferred to build 3D models to create a more accurate portrayal of what he saw in his mind.

2. He designed buildings mostly in Spain.

I. M. Pei

1. Pei created the Louvre Pyramid in Paris.

2. He is Chinese- American and considered "The Master of Modern Architecture."









Richard Rogers


1. Designed the Lloyd's of London in 1978.

2. In 1995, he was the first architect to be invited to give the BBC Reith Lectures - a series entitled 'Cities for a Small Plant' - and in 1998 was appointed by the Deputy Prime Minister to chair the UK Government's Urban Task Force on the state of our cities.

Cabin Retreat

I designed a cabin suitable for three people to go for a getaway. The cabin has both views of the mountains and a lake. The floor plan I created has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room. The three women interested in the cabin wanted a table where they could play board games. The dining room table can be used either for eating, or for playing board games! The dining room is next to the living room which has a fire place to cozy up next to on cold nights. The living room has great mountain views and the dining room has great lake views. Sliding doors in the living room lead to a wrap around deck which provides lake and mountain views. Inside, I placed the bedrooms away from the main road's street noise, and put trees where the main road is for privacy. 

Tree House Project

The Atkins family has a yard with many trees. For leisure, they wanted a tree house built that would be both enjoyable and safe for a mother, father, and son. Therefore, I built a tree house that would meet their requirements.To get into the tree house, there is a ladder that is connected to the tree trunk. At the top of the ladder, there is a latch that opens up into the house. There are two windows in the tree house to allow for natural light and a deck outside for relaxation. On the deck, there is access to a ladder that leads up to another deck. The second deck is higher than the tree house and provides a great view for the family.

Tree House Project Research

I like this tree house because it has a bridge connecting it to another tree.



I like this tree house because of the almost porch it has and the slide coming off of it.



I like how this tree house is coming off the edge of a some sort of hill.


I like how this tree house has what looks like a loft and how it has a lot of windows.



I like this tree house because it seems really big, it has a porch, and the extra platform above the roof is really cool.

Famous Buildings

        The building I created is a town hall. It is a center of power. I decided to make the building symmetrical because most government buildings are symmetrical or have symmetrical features. Many of these types of buildings have columns, so I included them as well.  Because the building is being used in the future, I added some modern elements. I included big rectangular windows on the front face and silver trim around all of the windows on the front face, the door, the columns, and the roof. Additionally, I put a ship's wheel on the pediment because of the building's location. It is a part of the Jersey Shore, so I wanted to give the building a nautical aspect. 

        The outside materials I brought in were white construction paper, which the building is covered in, silver paper, which is around the columns, windows, and the roof, straws, which are in the columns, and clear paper, which is in the windows.  

2/7 - Famous Buildings

Today I continued gluing.