Benjamin Henry Latrobe
British-American neoclassical architect who designed the U.S. Capitol and Baltimore Basilica
Rembrandt Peale · via Wikipedia: Benjamin Henry Latrobe · Public domain
Benjamin Henry Latrobe was an architect and engineer born on May 1, 1764, at the Fulneck Moravian Settlement near Leeds, England.[1][2] Latrobe died from yellow fever on September 3, 1820, in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1][3]
Quick Facts
- Office
- Architect of the Capitol
- Took office
- April 6, 1815
- Left office
- November 20, 1817
- President
- James Madison; James Monroe
- Predecessor
- Himself
- Successor
- Charles Bulfinch
- Born
- 1 May 1764
- Birthplace
- Fulneck, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Great Britain
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Latrobe's father was a leader of the Moravian Church, and his mother was born in Pennsylvania but sent to England for schooling.[2] He established his own private practice in 1791 and designed Hammerwood Lodge, his first independent work, in 1792.[4] In the United States, he designed the Bank of Pennsylvania, the first Greek Revival building in the country, and the Center Square Water Works in Philadelphia.[5][6] When he was twelve years old, in 1776, Latrobe's family sent him to the Moravian School located in Niesky, Silesia; after that, he journeyed across Germany and subsequently enlisted in the Royal Prussian Army.[6]
On November 20, 1817, Latrobe stepped down from his role as Architect of the Capitol, and subsequently he encountered financial ruin.[6]
What the cited sources add
A 2020 sales listing for Alderbury House in Wiltshire describes it as "one of Wiltshire's most elegant Georgian country houses" and states it was reputedly built with stone from Salisbury Cathedral.[7]
References
- "Notice de personne: Latrobe, Benjamin Henry (1764-1820)", Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 20 June 2025. facts only, no text reused. catalogue.bnf.fr
- Wikipedia, "Benjamin Henry Latrobe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Notice de personne: Latrobe, Benjamin Henry (1764-1820)", Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 20 June 2025; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Benjamin Henry Latrobe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Latrobe, "Latrobe Family"; Latrobe Jr., John H. B., "Latrobe Family – Benjamin Henry Latrobe" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Benjamin Henry Latrobe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; ; "Benjamin Henry Latrobe", Hammerwood Park; Colvin, H. M. Colvin, "A Biographical Dictionary of English Architects, 1660–1840", Harvard University Press, 1954, p. 357; ; ; "The Canals of Eastern England", David and Charles, 1977, p. 70 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Benjamin Henry Latrobe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Benjamin Henry Latrobe" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Eight of the biggest country house sales in Britain in 2020. facts only, no text reused. countrylife.co.uk
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Benjamin Henry Latrobe (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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