Knowra Benjamin Henry Latrobe Benjamin Henry Latrobe Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820) was an English-born American architect and civil engineer whose work helped establish neoclassical architecture in the United States. He designed major public buildings, including the U.S. Capitol and Baltimore’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
United States Capitol : The legislative seat of the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., with a neoclassical design developed over several building campaigns. Latrobe redesigned the Capitol after its destruction in the War of 1812.
Neoclassical architecture : An architectural movement drawing on the forms, proportions, and ornament of ancient Greek and Roman buildings. Latrobe adapted its classical vocabulary to American civic and religious commissions.
England : A country in the United Kingdom occupying the southern and central part of the island of Great Britain. Latrobe was born and educated in England before establishing his career in America.
George Washington : The first president of the United States and a central figure in the founding of the republic. Washington selected Latrobe to design the Virginia State Penitentiary.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary : A Catholic cathedral in Baltimore designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and dedicated in 1821. Latrobe’s design made this the first major Roman Catholic cathedral built in the United States.
Greek Revival architecture : An architectural style inspired by ancient Greek temples, prominent in the United States during the early nineteenth century. Latrobe’s Bank of Pennsylvania helped introduce Greek temple forms into American architecture.
Samuel Pepys Cockerell : An English architect known for neoclassical and Gothic designs, who employed Benjamin Henry Latrobe early in his career. Latrobe trained in Cockerell’s office after returning from continental Europe.
James Madison : The fourth president of the United States, in office during the War of 1812 and the rebuilding of Washington. Madison’s administration oversaw Latrobe’s work on the Capitol after the British burned it.
Bank of Pennsylvania : A Philadelphia bank building designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and completed in 1801, notable for its Greek Revival form. Its Greek temple form established Latrobe’s reputation as an architect in the United States.
Roman architecture : The architectural tradition of ancient Rome, known for structures such as arches, vaults, domes, and monumental civic buildings. Latrobe studied Roman buildings and used their forms as models for modern public architecture.
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