Benjamin Henry Latrobe
by Charles Wilson Peale      
    Benjamin Henry Latrobe was born in 1764 in Yorkshire, England. As a boy he was educated in Moravian schools, and later in Germany itself. He studied classical languages and history, and focused on the liberal arts. Though his father was a minister, Latrobe rejected this career option for himself. In 1783, he went on a grand tour of Germany and France, where he was impressed by the Classical architecture in both countries. He, however, did return to London where he was employed at the Stamp Office. By 1787 Latrobe had started to study with England's most renowned engineer, John Smeaton. He quickly became interested in the architectural aspects of engineering and went on to study with S.R. Cockerell, a prominent London architect.
    Latrobe himself became a popular architect in England, where he belonged to the school of architecture, sometimes called the Plain Style. Neat the end of his service with Cockerell in 1792, Latrobe was made surveyor to the London Police. This work involved supervising the construction and renovation of several police stations. He married, opened his own architectural office, and became successful enough to employ apprentices of his own. Unfortunately, his young wife died in childbirth in 1793. This tragedy, along with other financial matters, prompted his move to America which he viewed as a land of architectural opportunity.
    He arrived in Norfolk, Virginia in 1796, and began to work at small jobs, mending staircases or adding rooms on to farmhouses. Although he held a German degree in engineering and had completed an apprenticeship in architecture in England, architecture and engineering were not always linked as necessary or complementary disciplines before Latrobe's time.
    Latrobe later worked out of Richmond, Virginia, as a navigator on the James River. It was during this period that his sketches were first noticed and admired by Thomas Jefferson, one of America's better known architects. Latrobe's career would soon become indebted to Jefferson's recommendations and especially to his patronage.
    Jefferson commissioned Latrobe to work on the Virginia State Penitentiary, and through his recommendation, the Bank of Pennsylvania, and The Philadelphia Waterworks (Figs. 1-3)  

Slide Gallery:  Click to   Enlarge

. Fig.1 - Virginia Penitentiary

Fig. 2 - Bank of Pennsylvania

Fig.3 Philadelphia Waterworks

 
    Latrobe also built the first United States Naval Dry-docks in Maryland in 1802, and was afterwards appointed to a newly-made position as the Surveyor of Building for the United States Government. In this politically charged position, Latrobe designed the south wing of the Capitol Building
(See "Architects of the Capitol). During the political bickering that was often a part of building the Capitol, Latrobe even clashed with Jefferson, who wanted to replace the icanthus leaves of the Corinthian order with American corn and tobacco motif. Despite Latrobe's objection, Jefferson prevailed.
    Latrobe is often credited with being the first true architect of the Greek Revival style in America. His designs were important because they implemented the technological advances of his time, especially in the areas of structural strength and fireproof safety. His designs are important because they combine the ideology of classical Greece with the industrialization of 19th century America, resulting in a style that was distinctly American.