The book Jefferson and Monticello: the Biography of a Builder by Jack McLaughlin and published by Henry Holt and Company in New York (1988), was one of the first sources I came across. It is a secondary academic source that gives a history of Thomas Jefferson’s life in the context of Monticello, his home in Virginia, which he designed himself. In this particular tale of the former president’s life, more detail is provided about Jefferson as an architect and builder than most other biographies would contain. There is also a great deal of information about the house itself and its classical style, considering it is one of the most significant and influential entities of classical architecture in United States history. In general, the book synthesizes various aspects of Jefferson’s life and times through discussion of Monticello’s influence in his life and later upon the region’s architecture. I believe this source will be helpful because it provides a great deal of information about classical architecture’s influence on the architecture of the United States and for this reason will aid me in supporting the claim that the study of classical architecture is necessary and highly beneficial for aspiring architects.
Another book I will use is The Elements of Classical Architecture by Georges Gromort and published by W. W. Norton & Co. in New York (2001). This book serves as a sort of architectural encyclopedia and offers an in-depth introduction to many principles and constructs of classical architecture from its earliest stages. The author’s intended audience is an academic audience and his purpose is to provide information about the most important features of classical architecture. This source will be helpful because it provides many examples of how fundamental features of classical architecture are still present in even the most modern architectural styles. It also gives a lot of information about concepts such as balance and proportion which were highly significant in classical architecture and are just as important today. This information can be used to support my opinion that studying classical architecture is a highly applicable way to train young architects.
A third book I will use is Classical Architecture for the Twenty-First Century: An Introduction to Design by Jean-Francois Gabriel and published in New York by W. W. Norton and Co. (2004). The author intended to have an academic audience and his purpose was to explain the significance of an ancient architectural style in the modern world. The author achieves his purpose by providing contemporary significance to what may seem like a remote and no longer relevant subject. He proves that classical architecture is, in fact, still highly relevant in architecture in the United States and all over the world.
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