,Students,
Math, philosophy, architecture and the law have been intertwined since the ancient Greeks. It is only in modern times that we see such disciplines separated out.
I want to expand your horizons. I hope to build your curiousity. Let's start with the following ... feel free to go on from this site and keep exploring the topic.
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/jefferson_poplar_forest.html
Then, build some thoughts and make a contribution by adding a comment, as discussed in class. Because I know it can be hard to write a comment that adds value to the discussion, consider using one of the following to get started:
- I didn't realize that ..... it makes me wonder if .....
- If I werew assigned a project on this topic, I would want to further investigate...
- Other websites I find helpful to this topic are.... The reasons are....
46 comments:
I actually didn't even know this house existed. Yet again, every person needs some quiet time for him/her self. The abundance of regular shapes in his design is very interesting. It makes me wonder if any other buildings he had made/designed included many regular shapes. Also, I wonder if it's possible to see all these shapes from the ground. Anyways, it's pretty cool how Jefferson liked math enough to have his house designed with regular shapes, measured to have equal lengths and angles.
Nick,
You have touched on some interesting points. I need you to develop your thoughts further though. Please look up Jefferson as an architect. Spend about 30 minutes reading. Try to take in all he had to know to design what he designed and how he designed it. Did you know he also designed instruments he needed to build Monticello? Find out what famous university is now at the site, etc.
Keep up the good work but do more, OK?
James from block B here.
This article was incredibly eye opening. I had always known about how smart Jefferson was, but until now I had never heard about his love for geometry. It makes perfect sense that a man who was both so smart and constantly engaged in logical thinking would be attracted to math and more specifically to geometry. Upon some further reading online, I have found out that the structure used to teach mathematical proofs used in geometry and in proving a case in court was identical in Jefferson's time. This even further explains why he loved the most logically thinking of all mathematical fields.
This is Katie Bedingfield. I knew that Thomas Jefferson was famous for accomplishing many things, but I never knew that he was an architect for many years. I really liked Jefferson's ideas on using octagons to create the building; it helps makes it more complex and visually-appealing as well as giving him a challenge of figuring out the measurements of the house, as it is hard to calculate the measurements of four sides- let alone eight!
This is Gabrielle X. from A Block Geometry. Before I read this post, I’ve never heard of either Poplar Forest or Monticello. I also did not know that along with being a Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson was an architect as well. Another website I found that was helpful and relevant to the topic is: http://www.presidentialavenue.com/tj.cfm#4 . From here, I learned that Jefferson utilized Palladio’s rules of design and idea of blending landscape with architecture. He was also greatly influenced by French designs like floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights.
Hi,
It is Elizabeth from A block. As Nick had said above, I also did not know this house existed. As I researched Jefferson as an architect, I came upon some interesting facts. I learned that he actually hated the architecture of Virginia and gave himself the task of upgrading it. To complete the big task, Jefferson learned architecture from his books and he was inspired by the Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio. In order for Jefferson to build his octagonal retreat house, each angle had to be built congruent. I wonder how Jefferson figured out the angle measurement. Did he use the formula 180(8-2) to find the total number of degrees in the octagon, and then divide the product by 8 to find each individual angle? Anyways, the university of Virginia is now at Popular Forest and Jefferson's love for geometry and his unique architecture has inspired many.
Paul Chong (Block A):
I found it very interesting that Thomas Jefferson was so intrigued by mathematics and geometry in particular to implement it into another area of interest, architecture. His designs of Poplar Forest, the Virginia State Capitol, his Monticello home, and the University of Virginia are all very interesting as you can see the shapes he designed. It was interesting to see shapes that we studied in class in the real-world, being used in real life. It was really interesting to see the symmetry of Poplar Forest not only in the architecture of the building, but of the landscape as well. Also given his involvement in Washington D.C.'s planning and design, I wonder if his memorial was also made with geometric shapes, mainly circles and squares, in honor of Jefferson's interest in geometry.
Hi I'm Claire Walsh.
I find it interesting that Jefferson loved octagons. He even built this retreat house, Poplar Forest, in the shape of an octagon. I have a friend with a house that is not octagonally shaped, but every single room in the house is a geometrically accurate octagon. And this is just in Reading... although Poplar Forest was the first octagonal house, there have been many others in America. I researched octagonal houses and found one called Longwood, located in Mississippi. It is a huge, beautiful house and even though it is unfinished. Haller Nutt, one of the wealthiest men in America, commissioned Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan to design Longwood. It is described as “the largest and most spectacular octagonal house in America.” I wonder what Thomas Jefferson would say if he heard that? Would he be upset, because his Poplar Forest is supposed to be the best octagonal house in America?
This is Jessica Strack from A block
The fact that Thomas Jefferson is self taught as an architect amazes me. Today has to go to college to build something as incredible as this. The design of this house must have taken a long time and to get the perfect dimensions of the central space without today's tools must have taken a great amount of care and time. If I had to do a project on any historical building, I would probably choose this house because this article merely grazes the topic. And this house clearly has so much to it, both historically and mathematically. By taking his love for octagons, Jefferson has made a truly unique structure.
This is Brooke Ryan from C block. I didn't realize that Thomas Jefferson was a self taught architect. I thought that it was really cool how the shape of his house is an octagon. That is a very rare shape for a house and it definitely makes it more interesting. For this house to be possible, every measurement had to be precise. I also like how the rooms are octagons. This allowed the rooms to have more natural light.
Hi Mrs Fits, it's Jackie from B block. I really enjoyed reading this post and about Jefferson's house. I made a connection to reading. We have a lot of Victorian style houses, and I find them extravagant and beautiful. I realized it's because of all the shapes that make up the house, like hexagons. It individualizes the house and gives it an elegant look. Jefferson's house is quite gorgeous, because of the cylinders in front, triangle over the door and big dome that has many sides! Shapes are what make the house beautiful.
I thought this was interesting, especially because I am studying the Declaration of Independence and the founding fathers in History right now. I think it's cool that Thomas Jefferson was interested in architecture as well as octagons because it shows that even founding fathers like Jefferson were interested in something besides politics. I did some further research on Google to go deeper into the connection between Math and architecture. I learned that architecture and math have gone hand in hand since ancient times, and historians believe that the Egyptian pyramids were designed using geometry. I learned the many rich businessmen and entertainers hire famous architects such as Frank Gehry to build them homes.
James Soucy - A Block
Hi, this is Dan S. from Block B.
I find it very interesting how, in architecture, geometry takes a very important part in the functionality of the building. The fact that the octagonal styling of house lets in more light is interesting, but makes a lot of sense. The more sides the building has, the more directions there are to let in light. For instance, if the sun is rising, light can be let in from the three sides of the house facing the sunrise, as opposed to the single side facing that direction in a square-shaped design. Later in the day, the interior can receive light from the opposite three sides of the building, that will be facing the sunset at that time.
This Article was really cool. I never knew how much math, especially geometry tied into architecture. I also never knew that Thomas Jefferson was so into Architecture, he even taught it to himself. I always knew Jefferson lived in Monticello, but I had never heard of Poplar forest before. It is interesting when you think about it that most houses are made of lots of regular polygons.
Hi it's Nikki Clover,
This information on Thomas Jefferson is very fascinating because I had no idea he even took part in architecture. An octagon house is fun and creative and I wonder if there are any other crazy shaped houses out there? Also, I wonder which other presidents have more of an intelligent background, such as the ones not well known. It's sad to know that Jefferson's grandson sold the house and eventually got damaged from a fire. If I were assigned this project I would further investigate information on the grandson and why he would sell such a precious house.
Hi its Amanda from A block. I think it is very interesting how Thomas Jefferson created a house in the shape of an octagon. A lot of thought must have gone into creating this house. He had to first make a design of the house and then put it into action. Jefferson also had to create a landscape that would fit the needs of his house. I see how his political career would take up a lot of his day and he also had other interests. I find it interesting how he found pleasure in architecture considering architecture and politics are very different from each other. It is also fascinating how he was able to make the octagonal home symmetrical. I thought that it would have been very hard to do since back then they didn't have all the tools that we do now. It is also amazing how he made the central space a perfect cube. I never would have thought that someone would have such a love to octagons that they would make house completely symmetrical including the landscape! Its interesting how Jefferson had so many different interests, including how he had a library in his house! Its also amazing how he had 94 slaves in his one house! I did not realize all the different interests Thomas Jefferson had besides politics!
Kyra McDermott from Block A
I find it interesting how Thomas Jefferson represents the connection between math, architecture, philosophy, and law. He designed buildings, read and wrote, and was a lawyer. The fact that he was able to take on all of these roles shows that these topics must have some connection. If I were assigned a project on this topic, I would like to further investigate how great the extent of Thomas Jefferson's knowledge actually was. I wonder if he was stronger in some topics, or he had equal expertise in each.
Hi it's Emma from B block.
It makes perfect sense how geometry and architecture come hand in hand. Both depend on laws of symmetry, congruence, and knowledge of all different shapes. I never knew that President Jefferson had such a love for architecture. In all honesty though, I don't really know much about many of the presidents in US history. When I read the paragraph about the floor layout, the first thing that came to my mind was how four smaller octagonal rooms could fit into a larger octagonal house? The picture of the floor layout wasn't clear, and it confuses me how the layout worked. The article was more historical rather than mathematical. There wasn't many facts in it that could be related to geometry, except for the architecture of the Poplar Forest. I'm also still confused as to where the Declaration of Independence comes into play with these subjects.
Nowadays, you don't see a lot of creative architecture in houses. I don't think I've personally seen an octagonal house, but I found a webpage with pictures of cool houses around the world: http://weburbanist.com/2008/09/09/70-amazing-houses-from-around-the-world/
I can only imagine how difficult the architecture was to plan out some of those houses. Exact measurements and a lot of knowledge of geometry must have been vital in building some of those homes.
Hi, this is Matthew Vallis from Honors Geometry B Block.
I find this article very interesting, I wonder what really pushed him to make a house like that, because I know I never would. It just is not in my taste. I admire how he completely designed the house himself. Everyone has their hidden talents. I would think being an architect would be a fascinating job though, building huge monuments and houses and literally see them come off your page and come to life. I do love the sound of a roman influence on a household though. I've been to Italy and I loved the monuments there like the Colosseum and to have that in a house like Jefferson build would be fantastic. On the other hand, lots of octagonal rooms is not my thing because I would imagine it would be hard to put a bed against a wall or a desk in a corner. I do like the idea of everything being very structured too, very symmetrical. That is what I like about the white house when you look directly at it, it is very even and it even has many columns influenced from the Romans.
This is interesting to read about because I never knew how much Pre Calc was just a harder version of geometry as you mentioned in class. It is cool to see how much Jefferson used abstract symmetry in all of his octagonal rooms and even in his landscaping. This is history but it shows that it still relates to Pre Calc.
Hi this is Hannah from Block B. This house is very interesting! I find it fascinating that simple geometry shapes such as cubes and octagons can be designed to look elegant. The Popular Forest was designed as a place Jefferson can go and relax with his family and grandchildren. I read on another website that Jefferson learned all he knew about architecture from Andrea Palladio's book “The Four Books of Architecture”. Jefferson also helped plan and design Washington D.C. Many French designs were incorporated in the house. Today the Poplar House is not very well known but it does attract some visitors. There is also an Archeology School located there. Jefferson mastered both geometry and architecture during his life and both are displayed in the Poplar House.
Hello, this is Greg McHale. I could talk so much about the history behind this man. Though a founding father and perceived hero he was a total hipicrit for saying all men are created equal even though he owned some 200 slaves himself. However, I'm here to talk about geometry and the architecture the man created, not his faults. For example, I wonder is his fascination with octagons is connected to something. Perhaps it could be his use of domes in his architectual masterpieces that sparked this curiosity. Domes are round and have no distinct sides. As more sides are added to regular polygons, they become increasingly rounder. So, octagons, with eight sides look somewhat round in nature. An octagon design would be the perfect fit for a domed structure like in Monticello, which is probably why he used them in Poplar woods. Also, if I were assigned to this topic in school I would like to further explore Jefferson's use of Renaissance ideals in his architecture. The time period fascinates me, and it's connection to the 3rd president sounds enriching, especially seeing it in his architecture.
Cam Dieselman said,
Thomas Jefferson must have been a naturally gifted architect because he wasn’t exposed to it until he went to William and Mary College and purchased his first book on the subject. According to earlyamerica.com, his original designs were based off of two main components; Andrea Palladio’s round Temple of Vesta and a prototype from an 18th century British book. This is an example of Jefferson had a lifelong tenancy to take more than one thing that already exist, and make it his own original. The geometry he used to build his house is also very impressive. The outer walls form a perfect regular octagon and even the room in the center is a perfect cube. Also the rooms opposite each other are congruent. His attraction to the precision of geometry shows his intense attention to detail. I believe Jefferson used these same two methods to create his best piece of work, the Declaration of Independence. In this case, he based his final product off of the Virginia Declaration of Rights( written in May 1776) and the English Bill of Rights of 1689(a British Document). Again, he used his strict attention to detail as it took him almost a month to write the final draft. However in both projects, the final product was an impressive and inspiring piece of American History.
This is Nat T in B-Block.
Like Nick mentioned, I had never heard of this house, and I find the idea of an octagonal house interesting. I looked up the advantages of an octagon on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octagon_house
and I found out that in terms of space and surface area, the octagon is a relatively efficient shape. A circle is the generally most "efficient" shape, as it has the most area for the least perimeter, but circular homes are often difficult to build. An octagon is a convenient substitution to a circle, (although many-sided regular polygons like a 15-gon and the like are closer in shape to a circle, they are more time-consuming to build), and it isn't terribly difficult to build. The lower surface area of the house also minimizes heat loss, and the increased area for less perimeter lowers building costs.The article mentioned that Orson Squire Fowler, a leading promoter of octagonal houses in the 1800s, wrote the book The Octagon House: A Home For All, or A New, Cheap, Convenient, and Superior Mode of Building ,
which detailed the advantages of octagonal houses, including the ones that I listed above. This book was written after Jefferson built Poplar Forest (it was published in 1848), meaning that Jefferson may have come up with these ideas himself. I found the information in the Wikipedia article interesting, as I didn't realize that there was actually a distinct methodology and advantage to building an octagonal house, as I assumed that they were built mostly for aesthetic purposes.
Hi, this is Taylor from block B,
I had no idea that Thomas Jefferson had a house in the Poplar Forest in Virginia! Let alone an octagonal one! This post got me curious about other geometric buildings made by presidents. I immediately thought about the Washington Bridge in New York, even though it wasn't made by him. This bridge is symmetric, with the two peaks of the two "towers" 377 feet from the bridges base (where the cars drive through.) This means if one was to draw a straight line from one peak to the other, it would be parallel to where the cars drive through. The "legs" of the bridge and the "towers" are perpendicular to the place where the cars drive through. Also, there are 2 cables of 3 ft diameter on each side of the bridge. The centers of each pair are 9 ft apart and the pairs themselves are 106 ft apart. This was interesting to learn, as I drove over this bridge on the 22nd of April. I never knew how symmetric this bridge was until tonight.
Olivia Cronin-Golomb says that there were no architecture schools in colonial Virginia, so Jefferson learned architecture from books. He got many of his ideas from Andrea Palladio's The Four Books of Architecture, which taught him the rules of classical design. Poplar Forest, the Virginia State Capitol, his home at Monticello, and the University of Virginia are considered to be his masterpieces. Jefferson’s Poplar Forest is a quintessential villa. At Poplar Forest, Jefferson used many of the architectural ideas he had collected throughout his years of study and his travels abroad. He used French design ideas he had observed in Paris, such as floor-to-ceiling windows, alcove beds, a skylight, and an indoor bathroom. The University of Virginia was begun when Jefferson was 74 years old. The buildings of the Lawn, Jefferson's "Academical village," were completed in 1826, in the last year of Jefferson's life, when he was 83. Jefferson's educational philosophy was that school should be of a public institution, rather than a church-supported college. Jefferson believed that architecture was the heart of the American cause. He thought that a building was a metaphor for American ideology, and the process of construction was equal to the task of building a nation.
While we are talking about presidents and math, did you know that President Garfield came up with a proof for Pythagoras Theorem? It involved trapezoids so I think it is particularly relevant for class now. From the PBS site
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/concepts/president/activity2.shtm
"There are many proofs to the Pythagorean theorem. President James Garfield developed his own proof in The Journal of Education (Volume 3 issue161) in 1876. President Garfield studied math at Williams College (in Williamstown, MA) and taught in the public school in Pownal, Vermont, for a year or two after graduating. President Garfield may have been joking when he stated about his proof that, "we think it something on which the members of both houses can unite without distinction of the party." A nice feature of mathematical proofs is that they are not subject to political opinion."
I didn't realize that Thomas Jefferson was such a brilliant architect. I find it amazing that he built and designed the only octogoanl building at the time. It is also interesting that Jefferson built it because it allowed more light into the building because electricity was not so advanced back then. If I was assigned a project on this topic I would want to further investigate the poplar forest as well as how Thomas Jefferson designed the building. I would want to learn more about how he constructed it and how long it took. Other websites I find helpful to this are www.poplarforest.org This website talks all about Jefferson and the poplar forest.
While we are talking about presidents and math, did you know that President Garfield published his own proof of Pythagoras Theorem? It involves a trapezoid so it is particularly relevant for class right now.
From a PBS website:\http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/concepts/president/activity2.shtm
"There are many proofs to the Pythagorean theorem. President James Garfield developed his own proof in The Journal of Education (Volume 3 issue161) in 1876. President Garfield studied math at Williams College (in Williamstown, MA) and taught in the public school in Pownal, Vermont, for a year or two after graduating. President Garfield may have been joking when he stated about his proof that, "we think it something on which the members of both houses can unite without distinction of the party." A nice feature of mathematical proofs is that they are not subject to political opinion."
Hi this is Nick from block c.
I never realized that Jefferson was so good at math and had a great passion for geometry. It makes me wonder if any other famous figures in America's history had such a passion for geometry that they built a quiet home for themselves made out of regular and equal geometric shapes.
Cynthia Yang: Block A
I found this very interesting and went to look up more information on Jefferson and the Poplar Forest. The Poplar Forest was built in Virginia, and it's construction took more than 20 years, from 1806 to around 1826 (or according to some historians, 1823). The floor plan of the mansion was based on octagons, and Jefferson used Tuscan columns and capitals, because of their simplicity and the symbolic sense of naturalness. Jefferson actually based most of his architectural designs from Andrea Palladio's, and hence, the Roman and Greek architects. Jefferson wanted the octagon designs for another reason, being efficiency. Being full of windows, the octagon rooms created large, "light-filled" interior spaces. This was Jefferson's ultimate octagon building, and one of the first octagonal homes in America. Lastly, what interested me the most was how Jefferson designed his house on the crown of a hill, so that it looked like the "good and new houses" of Paris, which were all one story. From the front, it looked like a one story house, but in reality, there were two floors.
Hi, this is Chloe M. from Block A. I didn't realize that Thomas Jefferson was not only one of our presidents, but also a very accomplished architect! Not only did he build the Poplar Forest, but he also designed the Monticello at the age of 26, AND he founded the University of Virginia. I think that it's pretty cool how he was able to use many geometrical shapes, such as octagons, during his designing of the Poplar Forest to his advantage. He noticed that octagons were able to let in more light, so he included them in his designs. It reminds me just how useful math is in our everyday lives, and even when we think that there is no reason that we will ever need to use a certain theorem or write out a proof, Thomas Jefferson goes to show that there is a use for math outside of the classroom.
Hi, this is Mia from block A. After reading this article on Thomas Jefferson's poplar forest, it is obvious that he was a skilled architect. He was self-taught, and very successful. I wanted to learn more about where his ideas for the intricate, geometric designs came from. According to poplarforest.org, Jefferson's designs were the results of reading. His go to books were "Andrea Palladio's four Books of Architecture." These taught him classical design rules. Jefferson was also inspired by looking around at the contemporary world. Thomas Jefferson was the first of amazing, native born architects. Thankfully, his masterpiece is continuously being restored.
Sam Patterson, Block B.
Before reading this article I didn't know that Jefferson had this house built. I also didn't know that Jefferson was an extraordinary architect. I thought it was very interesting how Jefferson was fascinated by octagonal shapes. Finally, I thought it was interesting how Jefferson put a large focus on symmetry when designing Poplar Forest.
Hello, this is Jackson from A block geometry. I found Jefferson's interest in architecture very fascinating. At his birth in 1741, there where few if any American schools that offered students architectural training. All of Jefferson's information on the subject came in books from the scholars of Ancient Europe. Other than that, Jefferson was a self taught architect. His designs and creations, like the poplar forest and the Monticello, came solely from his interest in renaissance works, and geometry. I am fascinated by his interest in geometric shapes. The most interesting of them all was the octagon. They not only give the house a symmetric and classy look, but they are a helpful way to allow more light to enter through the windows as there was no electricity during this time. Overall, Jefferson's work is very col and inspiring.
This is Natalie Rotstein from block B
I thought that this article was interesting. I had never heard of this house before, and I think the concept of having an octagonal (or, really, any house without mostly 90 degree corners) is unusual and interesting. I also didn't know that Jefferson had been interested in geometry and architecture in addition to politics.
Juliann L, Block B
I didn't realize that Jefferson had a house to go to relax in Poplar Forest. I found it really interesting that he built it in the shape of an octagon. I think that this shape for a house is very unique and beautiful. Aside from being esthetically appealing, this house is geometrically fascinating. Jefferson's house is perfectly symmetrical and comes to a cube in the center. Hearing about this house made me wonder if there are any other houses with similar geometric designs like the one Jefferson built for himself. When I researched this further, I learned that octagonal houses were actually a popular style of house in the United States as well as in Canada in the 1850s. There were a lot of practical and mathematical reasonings behind this. One reason octagonal houses are a very sensible choice is they are a lot less expensive to build and heat. They are less expensive to build and heat because compared to an ordinary square house, octagonal houses have about 20% more space with the same perimeter. This means that there are less supplies needed to build a house with the same area, and less heat will escape because there is less external surface area.
I have a small personal obsession with the presidents. That being said one of my favorites has to be Jefferson. He is such an interesting character. Thomas was fascinated by many things. He showed a strong love for math. He once said,"Architecture is My Delight." In math class we are inspired by the ancients such as Pythagoras. Jefferson was inspired by ancients,the Romans and their Pantheon to build his Rotunda. He even aided Pierre Charles L'Enfant in designing the capital of our country. Thomas also was interested in the geometric design layouts, so he used his knowledge to design the University of Virginia Campus. For his Monticello he purchased and built instruments such as the Polygraph, which helped him design blueprints at different scales. Jefferson was intrigued by math and used it to build above and beyond. I hope someday I can use math to the same extent
this is Adam from A block. I had honestly never known that Jefferson was a self taught architect, and the fact that he used this skill to not only construct his own house when he had many other slaves he could have easily made do it for him, and that he also chose such an odd shape and design for the house really showed how eccentric this man was. Though the article linked was informative, if i were inclined to research the topic further, i would first look up the exact measurements and specifications of the houses architecture. Overall, i liked this article and i may end up researching the topic further.
I knew Thomas Jefferson was famous for doing many things, but I never realized that he was an architect. I think it was a good idea for him to do his building projects in octogons because it helped him be challenged in his math work (for finding areas, angles, ect.) while also making the building visually interesting.
Hello, this is Sam K from block A,
I didn't know that Jefferson was into architecture! I mean,I knew he was smart but it always takes me by surprise to see what presidents do in their spare time. Who knew that architecture was among the hobbies? A lot of the modern architecture reminds me of geometry because it has all of the shapes put together perfectly to make a building. Whenever I picture a famous modern architect, I picture the work that was done where the outside walls of the buildings looks like waves. I looked the architect up and found out that his name was Frank Gehry. It's really incredible to think about how much planning must go into building something like that. It must take a ton of work to figure out how big everything is or where the pieces are going. It must be very challenging because with one mistake the entire structure would be effected.
Hi this is Will from block B. I never new tha Thomas Jefferson was an architect and I also never new he had this house. Tho octagonal shape is very interesting. With this shape he can have more space inside and use less wood on the exterior walls. Another thing that is interesting is the interior design. The four rooms all around the sides are symmetric and the center room is square. The basic design isn't necessarily very complex, yet it is still very impressive and creative. I think that Thomas Jefferson was a very smart person and knew a lot about architecture and math.
This is Aaron from C block. I found the architecture of this house and the entire grounds of this property to be fascinating. To think that someone would create a house based on a regular geometric shape, making sure it is symmetrical, is quite interesting, yet phenomenal. I am still totally surprised that President Jefferson had such a knack for architecture, huh.
Hi this is leah from C block.
After reading this article i was suprised to find out new information about jefferson as an arcitect. I had never heard of this before or seen the designs he created. However, thinking about jefferson as the intelligent person he was, it isnt suprising that he would be invloved with something that required so much skill as arcitecture does. I would like to learn more about jefferson. I had no idea about this part of his life so i bet there are many other interesting things i never knew about him.
Hi, this is Paulaine from A Block. This article was interesting to me because I had just read one about Jefferson in History class, but it had no mention of his Popular Forest house. It didn't realize that Washington was a self-taught architect, which is surprising seeing as his work was very impressive. The idea of using an octagonal house shape, which is rarely seen in buildings, was unique and risky. The square center in the middle of the house was fascinating and also different. Not only was Jefferson a brilliant architect and politician, he was also very interested in science, music, the law, and writing. This article explains a bit more about Jefferson's work, especially the beginning:
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/247139?terms=thomas+jefferson
Hi, this is Mia from Block A's sister, Marissa. It was cool that he designed his quiet place in a octagon shape - like a stop sign - meaning to rest. I didn't know how much he loved geometry and math and how he taught himself architecture. I went to Virginia a few years ago with my family and saw Monticello, but didn't know there was this house as well. It would be fun to revisit. I Googled Poplar Forest and found out that its design was based on Palladian architecture -symmetry and proportions. This design is evident in many modern buildings today.
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