Maryland has a Latrobe House, a Latrobe Hall and a Latrobe Building. But how many people really know who Latrobe was?
A nationwide alliance called Latrobe's America has been formed to preserve the work and vision of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the nation's first professional architect and the man widely considered the father of American architecture.
The consortium brings together for the first time nine organizations and historic sites that share Latrobe's legacy, including structures, artifacts and writings. Between now and 2006, those organizations expect to spend more than $50 million to celebrate Latrobe's accomplishments and preserve his buildings, including Baltimore's Basilica of the Assumption and the U.S. Capitol.
Maryland groups and individuals figure prominently in the consortium, whose formation is being announced in Washington today. Among the group's founding members are the Basilica of the Assumption Historic Trust, which is leading a $25 million effort to restore and modernize the cathedral, and the Maryland Historical Society, which holds the largest collection of Latrobe's designs and printed works. The Johns Hopkins Press plans to publish a scholarly review of Latrobe's work. Wayne Ruth, chairman of the Basilica of the Assumption Historic Trust, is a driving force behind Latrobe's America.
"We as a nation celebrate the accomplishments of many great architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright," Ruth said. "We want [2003] to be the year to reintroduce and celebrate the genius of Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
"Given his legacies and his historic role as the father of American architecture, Latrobe's name should be better known than it is. And we are going to change that."
Latrobe was born in England in 1764 and was trained as an architect and engineer. He immigrated to America in 1795 and settled first in Virginia and then Philadelphia, where he received the appointment as architect of the Bank of Pennsylvania and designer of the city's waterworks.
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson appointed him the nation's first Surveyor of Public Buildings, a position that made him responsible for the design and oversight of construction of all government buildings.
One of the nation's most prolific architects, he was commissioned in 1805 to design Baltimore's basilica, the mother church of Roman Catholicism in the United States, and the structure is considered Latrobe's masterwork. The Capitol and the cathedral were the most monumental buildings in America during the early 1800s. Latrobe died in 1820.
