Architecture of Nineteenth Century Washington D.C.

The architect Leopold Eidlitz once said “American architecture is the art of covering one thing with another thing to imitate a third thing, which if genuine would not be desirable” (guide pg. 42). The architects who designed Washington D.C. were true to this. Neoclassical, Greek Revival, Roman Revival, Georgian, Gothic Revival, and Egyptian architectural styles were all used in the creation of the city in the 1800’s.
The image of Classical order came to be strongly associated with public buildings and their role in elevating public virtue (Understanding Architecture pg. 422). William Thorton’s design for the Capital Building captured that image. “The grandeur, the simplicity, and the beauty…will, I doubt not, give it a preference in your eyes as it has in mine,” Thorton exclaimed (geocities.com). The design for the Capital was a work of art but would prove to be difficult to build. In 1803, Benjamin Henry Latrobe took over work on the building (geocities.com...