Robert Mills: America's First Architect

Name/Title

Robert Mills: America's First Architect

Entry/Object ID

2009.004.009

Description

The first architect trained in America, Robert Mills is best known as the designer of many iconic buildings in our nation's capital: the Washington Monument, the Department of Treasury headquarters, the Patent Office Building (now National Portrait Gallery), and the Post Office Headquarters. Mills, whose career spanned the period 1810 to 1855, was a colleague of James Hoban, architect of the White House, and Thomas Jefferson, designer of Monticello and the University of Virginia. He trained with Benjamin Henry Latrobe, designer of the Virginia State Capitol and the Bank of Pennsylvania. With this circle of friends, Mills was instrumental in creating the physical design of the new republic. Illustrated with never-before-published watercolors and renderings and new color photography commissioned for the book. Author John Bryan weaves the history of Mills's architectural designs and engineering inventions together with the lives of the individuals who most influenced him, and shows how he can rightly be called our founding father of architecture. Contents: Youth in Charleston 1781-1800 [Prologue] -- Early Mentors, James Hoban and Thomas Jefferson, Washington, D.C., 1800-1803 -- Training with Benjamin Henry Latrobe I803-I807 -- The Young Professional, Philadelphia, 1808-1812 -- Diversification and Maturity, Richmond, Philadelphia, Baltimore, 1810-1820 -- Internal Improvements, South Carolina, 1820-1829 -- National Practice, Washington, D.C. and Elsewhere, 1830-1835 -- "Architect of Public Buildings," Washington, D.C., 1836-1842, and Subsequent Practice xiii, 330 p. : ill. (some col.), plans, ports. ; 28 cm.

Collection

Historic Charleston Foundation Library

Acquisition

Accession

2009.004.

Source or Donor

New Library Books Purchased (2009)

Acquisition Method

Purchased

Credit Line

Restricted Book/Archives Acquisition Fund Purchase

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Book

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Other Documents

Nomenclature Class

Documentary Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Search Terms

Fine Arts, Architecture, Mills, Robert, 1781-1855, Architects--United States--Biography

Book Details

Author

Bryan, John Morrill

Publisher

Princeton Architectural Press

Place Published

Location

New York, NY

Date Published

2001

Call No.

NA737 .M5 B788 2001

ISBN

1568982968

LCCN

2004268106

Notes

Copy No.: 0

Location

Location

Building

Missroon Library

Category

Permanent

Date

February 7, 2023

General Notes

Note

Notes: By John M. Bryan. Includes bibliographical references (p. 321-324) and index. Archives Acquisition Fund purchase.

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

October 6, 2009

Updated By

sferguson@historiccharleston.org

Update Date

April 5, 2023