Absent the research of Fiske Kimball, Thomas Jefferson's enduring contribution to American design might never have come to light. In Hugh Howard's Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson, Kimball discovers Jefferson's influence on his contemporaries Latrobe and Bulfinch as they work to establish architecture as a profession in the nascent USA, and seek too the beginnings of a distinct American style. A persuasive account of the manner in which enlightened, impassioned scholarship can clarify history.

When Thomas Jefferson was born, there were few high-style buildings in America, but in a lifetime full of political accomplishments, he also became the father of America’s new architecture, enabling the Neoclassical to become the de facto national style for public and private buildings. However, in a strange lapse of historical memory, Jefferson’s accomplishments were almost entirely forgotten by the time Kimball arrived on the scene almost a century later.
Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson is a moment-by-moment narrative of the men who created the profession of architecture in America, and Fiske Kimball is the spokesman: As the pioneering writer, scholar, and museum director who first assembled their stories, he takes us along in the surprising paper chase that eventually revealed Jefferson’s architectural genius. Along the way, we also learn his story of dramatic discoveries and his founding of the twin disciplines of historic preservation and architectural history.

Praise for Hugh Howard's Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson:

 

"Howard argues convincingly that Kimball and Jefferson were the Boswell and Johnson of American architecture. Their conversation managed to leap over two centuries of separation and establish, for the first time, the origins of an indigenous American architectural style. And speaking of style, this book truly has it."— Joseph J. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author of Founding Brothers, American Sphinx and His Excellency

Hugh Howard’s numerous books include the definitive Thomas Jefferson, Architect; his memoir House-Dreams; the essay collection The Preservationist’s Progress; and an introduction to the architecture of Williamsburg, Colonial Houses. He resides in upstate New York with his wife, writer Elizabeth Lawrence, and their two teenage daughters.

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA
Distributor: MPS
Publication Date: 10-03-2006
Pages: 352
Measurements: 9.25in X 6.13in