Capitol Square
While in France, Thomas Jefferson was inspired by the first-century Roman temple “La Maison Carree” in Nimes. Jefferson, an amateur architect, enlisted the help of Charles-Louis Clerisseau, an expert on ancient buildings. Clerisseau directed the creation of a plaster model for the new building and Jefferson drew plans. The front steps and wings were added in 1906. Architecturally, the building is Neo-Classical. The exterior is stucco on brick. The Capitol is the first full-scale building in the form of a classical temple since antiquity.
{Photo Credits: Exterior building shot, HRF archives; Exterior column shot, Richard Cheek for Historic Richmond Foundation; interior shot, HRF archives}