Benjamin Henry Latrobe

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Benjamin Henry Latrobe bigraphy, stories - British-American neoclassical architect

Benjamin Henry Latrobe : biography

May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820

Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was a British neoclassical architect who emigrated to the United States and is best known for his design of the United States Capitol, along with his work on the Old Baltimore Cathedral/The Baltimore Basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral constructed in the United States. Latrobe was one of the first formally-trained, professional architects in the United States, drawing influences from his travels in Italy, as well as British and French Neoclassical architects such as Claude Nicolas Ledoux.

Latrobe emigrated to the United States in 1796, initially settling in Virginia where he worked on the State Penitentiary in Richmond. Latrobe then relocated to Philadelphia where he established his practice. In 1803, he was hired as Surveyor of the Public Buildings of the United States, and spent much of the next fourteen years working on projects in Washington, D.C. Latrobe spent the later years of his life in New Orleans, working on a waterworks project, and died there in 1820 from yellow fever. He has been called the "Father of American Architecture".

Notes

Biography

Latrobe was born on May 1, 1764 at the Fulneck Moravian Settlement, near Pudsey in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, to the Reverend Benjamin Latrobe, a leader of the Moravian Church who was of Huguenot ancestry, and Anna Margaretta Antes. Antes was born in the American colony of Pennsylvania, but was sent to England by her father, a wealthy landowner, to attend a Moravian school at Fulneck. Latrobe’s father, who was responsible for all Moravian schools and establishments in Britain, had an extensive circle of friends in the higher ranks of society. He stressed the importance of education, scholarship, and the value of social exchange, while Latrobe’s mother instilled in him a curiosity and interest in America. From a young age, Latrobe enjoyed drawing landscapes and buildings. He was a brother of the Moravian leader and musical composer, Christian Ignatius Latrobe.

In 1776, at the age of 12, Latrobe was sent away to a Moravian School at Niesky in Upper Lusatia, near the border of Saxony and Prussia, where his brother was already studying. At age 18, he spent several months traveling around Germany, and then joined the Prussian army, becoming close friends with a distinguished officer in the army of the United States. Latrobe may have served in the Austrian army, and suffered some injuries or illness. After recovering, he embarked on a continental Grand Tour, visiting eastern Saxony, Paris, Italy, and other places. Through his education and travels, Latrobe mastered German, French, Greek, and Latin, had advanced ability in Italian and Spanish, and knowledge of Hebrew.

His son, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, II, worked as a civil engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and was the designer of the Thomas Viaduct. His other son, was noted civic leader, author, intellectual and social activist John H. B. Latrobe in Baltimore, Maryland.

English Work

Latrobe returned to England in 1784, and was apprenticed to John Smeaton, an engineer known for designing Eddystone Lighthouse. Then in 1787 or 1788, he worked in the office of neoclassical architect S.P. Cockerell for a brief time. In 1790, Latrobe was appointed Surveyor of the Public Offices in London, and established his own private practice in 1791. Latrobe was commissioned in 1792 to design Hammerwood Park, near East Grinstead in Sussex, his first independent work, and he designed nearby Ashdown House in 1793. Latrobe was involved in construction of the Basingstoke Canal in Surrey, together with engineers John Smeaton and William Jessop. In spring 1793, Latrobe was hired to plan improvements to the River Blackwater from Maldon to Beeleigh, so that the port of Maldon could compete with the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, which bypassed the town. The project lasted until early 1795, when Parliament denied approval of his plan. Latrobe had problems getting payment for his work on the project, and faced bankruptcy.