Architecture as a Mirror of Civilization: From Rome to Washington, D.C.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Palladian ideals deeply influenced the founders of the United States. Thomas Jefferson, in particular, saw in Palladio a model for the new American republic — rooted in antiquity but independent in spirit. From Wikimedia Commons: Fresco in the Sistine Chapel, Rome: Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter (Pietro Perugino, 1481–82)Architecture matters. Far beyond the requirements of shelter and utility, it conveys the essence of (a) being human, (b) civilization, and (c) institutional endurance. From the graceful villas of Andrea Palladio in Renaissance Italy to the monumental civic buildings of Washington, D.C., architecture reflects...