Benjamin Henry Latrobe

Benjamin Henry Latrobe, born on May first, seventeen sixty-four, was a pioneering British-American architect, civil engineer, and naturalist. He is celebrated as one of the first formally trained architects to arrive in the newly independent United States, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge influenced by his travels in Italy and the works of prominent British and French neoclassical architects, including Claude Nicolas Ledoux.

In his thirties, Latrobe made the significant decision to immigrate to America in seventeen ninety-six, initially settling in Virginia. His early work included the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. Soon after, he moved to Philadelphia, where he established his architectural practice. In eighteen oh three, he was appointed Surveyor of the Public Buildings of the United States, dedicating much of the next fourteen years to projects in Washington, D.C., where he served as the second Architect of the Capitol.

Latrobe's most notable designs include the United States Capitol and the Old Baltimore Cathedral, later known as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which holds the distinction of being the first cathedral built in the United States for any Christian denomination. He also designed the Merchants' Exchange in Baltimore, the largest structure in America at the time, featuring extensive balconied atriums and a grand central rotunda.

In his later years, Latrobe relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he worked on a waterworks project. Unfortunately, his life was cut short when he succumbed to yellow fever in eighteen twenty. Latrobe's legacy endures, earning him the title of the 'father of American architecture.' He was also the uncle of Charles La Trobe, the first lieutenant-governor of Victoria in Australia.