ABSTRACT
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the American republic searched for architectural expressions to convey its new-nation status and hoped-for permeance. At the same time, public funding for grand structures was limited, evidenced by the 14-year duration for the initial construction of the US Capitol (1793–1807). To help solve this problem, gentleman-architect and President Thomas Jefferson promoted a building technology that was at once cost-effective and suggestive of stateliness, namely Philibert Delorme’s 16th century French framing technique. Jefferson was so effective in encouraging the method that architectural historian Doug Harnsberger has called Jefferson: “Delorme’s fervent ambassador to America.” This paper explores the transfer of Delorme’s thin wood vaulting method from France to American in the 19th century.
