Journal of Latrobe

 

British-born Benjamin Latrobe is best known to American history for his design of the United States Capitol, as well as Baltimore's cathedral. After settling first in Virginia, then relocating to Philadelphia, Latrobe spent much of his later life in Washington, D.C., where he was hired as Surveyor of the Public Buildings of the United States. Latrobe worked in Greek revival and Gothic Revival styles, and was highly interested in urban planning, particularly as it was affected by public health. Covering the years 1796 to 1820, The Journal of Latrobe is a ""collection of observations and a record of facts."" The work describes his life and projects in Virginia, Philadelphia, and finally New Orleans, where he died of the yellow fever he caught while working on a waterworks project there. These are the acute observations of an ""architect, naturalist and traveler, "" with commentary on social mores and manners, as well as the development of cities and towns, particularly Washington, D.C., in a booming post-war America.