POPLAR FOREST ARCHITECTURE

Along came Andreas Palladio,
Of architecture the daddy - oh.
He measured buildings Roman.
His own with them had much in common
And became somewhat faddy - oh.

Along came Thomas Jefferson,
Who always loved the octagon.
Interested in how a building looks,
In college he bought Palladio's books
And learned more in Paris later on.

Tom built his retreat as a man mature.
Interested in blending man with nature,
Symmetry, landscaping, convenience,
Porticos, and a classical influence,
He was his own man for sure.

Saturday afternoon Helen and I attended an interesting talk by Travis McDonald at Poplar Forest (Thomas Jefferson's second home). McDonald is Director of Archaeology at Poplar Forest.

Andreas Palladio wrote books on architecture in the 1550s and 1570s after being a stone cutter in the 1520s, studying the only available archeological books in the 1930s, and then going to Rome to study Roman ruins. He created architectur for villas, taking ideas, such as porticos, from public buildings and putting them on private houses

Poplar Forest has been said to be the last true Palladian house. It was a blend of ideas from Palladio and others and Jeffersonian innovations, including the wing of "offices" with the flat roof on top. Jefferson worked on that flat roof for 30 years, trying nine different variations.