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the architects, were the most noted, and they in turn indoctrinated a new generation—Thomas U. Walter of Philadelphia, Gideon Shryock of Kentucky and others—with similar ideals, so that Latrobe's influence toward a sounder, more integrated, and more creative architecture and a more clearly defined and idealistic profession continued to spread over the country in ever-widening circles. 
Benjamin Henry Latrobe came close to being the ideal renaissance character. There seemed to be no limits to the knowledge of his time that he commanded. He was a polished linguist, with a good knowledge of Spanish, French and German among the languages of today; he was also an excellent Latinist and knew Greek and at least a modicum of Hebrew. He wrote pungently, gracefully and well—perhaps on occasion, as his letters show, too pungently. He wrote the hymn of dedication sung at the opening of St. John's Church in Washington, which he designed. He was also the author of a comedy that was played with apparent success in Richmond and Philadelphia; one wishes it were still preserved. He had, too, at least a theoretical knowledge of music which he passed along to his pupil Robert Mills, and his scientific knowledge combined with this musical interest in producing the article on acoustics which he wrote for the American edition of Chambers' Encyclopaedia. This is a complete and, in the light of the knowledge of the time, through treatment of the laws of sound and their application both in musical instruments and in architectual design—surely an extraordinary performance for one who made his name in quite other fields. It was no accident that he was a close friend of Charles Willson Peale, for their insatiable curiosities were similar and with these both of them combined marked [[creative?]] be was one of the earliest owners of the [[poly?]] invented; it was through Latrobe, in fact. [[?]] 

tained his polygraph. And it is due to Latrobe's polygraph that copies of all the letters that he wrote over a period of many years are still preserved and, together with his sketch books and journals, remain to give us a picture unprecedentedly complete of the life, the characters, the struggles of this many-sided man. Much of his knowledge went, alas, little appreciated by the mass of the people of the young and struggling country, who were, typically enough, absorbed in the pragmatic doings of everyday. But he was fortunate in having had a few friends who understood his unique quality and treasured it—men like Peale and Jefferson and, later though to a less degree, Madison.
Like many others, Latrobe came to this country full of enthusiasm for democracy and freedom; in fact, it was probably the new experiment the United States was making in democratic government which, just as much as the opportunities for professional activity, turned his mind to these shores. Yet the political squabbles of party-ridden Washington disgusted him. As time went on he became politically cynical, though he never lost his wide interest in the swings of popular feeling and realized more deeply than many native Americans the depth of the problems which face the country—especially the problem of slavery and the extreme difference in living conditions and ideals between various regions. His New Orleans journals, now being prepared for publication, contain comments on slavery, on French habits, on the conflicting ideals of the Americans and the Creoles, on Negro music and religion, on theology in general; they even contain and interesting criticism of the rhymes used by Molière. These notes reveal the breadth of his interests; they show that this man, who was so truly, the father of American architecture, was much more than a mere professional designer. He was, above all else, not only a whole man but a man who in his endless curiosities and his restless seeking was prophetic of the times that were to come.

Latrobe's unsuccessful competition design for New York City Hall, done in 1802. Courtesy of Avery Library and Library of Congress. 
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1948
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