Monticello
There’s
no mistaking the house with the temple-like 
west portico and dome on
top. It’s on the reverse of the American five cent coin, whose obverse
profiles the face of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United
States. Monticello, Jefferson’s beautiful and beloved home, was a
reflection of Jefferson himself with a foundation in the classics,
influenced by the beauty of Europe, yet dedicated to function.
The Mountain and the House
The word monticello
is Italian for “little mountain”. Thomas Jefferson inherited the
5000-acre plantation, located near Charlottesville, Virginia, from his
father in 1764. The first house at Monticello was started in 1768,
modeled after the plans of Andrea Palladio, an Italian Renaissance
architect. This house had two stories with eight rooms total.
Just
as the first house was almost finished in 1784, Thomas Jefferson went
to France, where he was to serve as American minister for five years.
Jefferson’s stay in France influenced his architectural tastes
immensely. Revisions and additions to Monticello began in 1804, during
Jefferson’s first term as President. He had seen the works of Boullee
and Ledoux in France and desired to incorporate several of their
features, the most prominent being a dome. The upper story was removed,
a new second story built, a dome (the first in America) added on top,
and an addition to the east front. This extensive revision was finished
in 1809. Monticello boasted twenty-one rooms that combined elements
from France, Renaissance Italy, and Ancient Rome. Having a house that
displayed obvious influences from Roman architecture reflected
Jefferson’s classical education and desire to associate the new
American republic with the republic of Ancient Rome.
Living in the House
Thomas
Jefferson planned Monticello to fulfill the ideals of beautiful form
and practical function. Entering through the front door, visitors first
arrive in the large entry hall. This room became a sort of museum,
complete with artifacts, maps and other unusuals to intrigue guests as
they waited for their host. One especially interesting feature in the
entrance hall is a large clock, designed by Jefferson, that indicates
not only time of day, but also day of the week.
Other than a family sitting room, the south section of Monticello was
used exclusively by Jefferson for his books, study, and bedroom. While
visitors never entered those rooms, they were treated to a
large parlor adorned with over forty paintings, a parquet floor, and
elegant window treatments, designed in the fashion of French draperies.
Monticello’s dining room was equipped with a dumb waiter for wine from
the cellar below. A tea room also provided a lovely space for serving
the two meals of the day.
The rest of the house
features guest bedrooms downstairs and family bedrooms upstairs (now
used as offices). Visitors may have been puzzled as to the absence of a
grand staircase. Jefferson thought they wasted space, yet his beautiful
dome room, not open to the public today, seems to have served no
specific purpose. The house is also noted for it’s abundance of windows
and wonderful use of natural light, including several sky lights.
Click here for a virtual tour of Monticello.
Visiting Monticello
Touring
the house (as well as the grounds) is included in the price of
admission at Monticello, currently $13 for adults, $6 for children
6-11. You may visit Monticello any day except Christmas, between 8 a.m.
and 5 p.m. March through October and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November
through February. Visit Monticello’s web site for specific directions and more details.