The neoclassical plantation of Thomas Jefferson

Monticello was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father and the third president of the United States. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, the property was originally 5,000 acres and was designated a National Historic Landmark due to its architectural and historic significance. In 1987, Monticello and the nearby University of Virginia were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Monticello derives from the Italian meaning "little mountain," reflecting its location on the summit of an 850 ft-high peak.

Jefferson began designing the main house using neoclassical principles pioneered by Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Work began on the "first Monticello" in 1768, and while Jefferson moved into a south pavilion in 1770, he continued to remodel and rebuild the house throughout much of his presidency. He added a center hallway and parallel rooms, more than doubling the area, and replaced the second full-height story with a mezzanine bedroom floor. The interior is centered on an entrance-hall-museum for his scientific interests and a music-sitting room.

One of the most dramatic elements of the new design was an octagonal dome placed above the west front of the building. The room inside the dome features Mars yellow walls and a painted green and black checkered floor. To manage the Virginia heat, Jefferson designed the central hall and aligned windows to allow a cooling air-current to pass through the house, while the octagonal cupola was designed to draw hot air up and out. Today, the house operates as a house museum and educational institution managed by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

The plantation grounds originally included gardens for flowers and produce, as well as areas for Jefferson's experiments in plant breeding. Outbuildings along Mulberry Row served various functions, including a nailery and quarters for enslaved people who worked in the home. While Jefferson's enslaved people worked the fields and cultivated tobacco and mixed crops, the nearby cabins for field workers were located further from the mansion. Jefferson is buried on the grounds in the Monticello Cemetery, which is owned by a society of his descendants.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons