Farmington is a house near

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

, in Albemarle County, Virginia, that was greatly expanded by a design by

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

that Jefferson executed while he was

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. The original house was built in the mid-18th century for Francis Jerdone on a property. Jerdone sold the land and house to George Divers, a friend of Jefferson, in 1785. In 1802, Divers asked Jefferson to design an expansion of the house. The house, since greatly enlarged, is now a clubhouse.

Description

The Jefferson addition comprises the present building's main facade, consisting of an elongated octagon with its long axis perpendicular to the large

tetrastyle A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

Tuscan portico. The original house was a two-story, three-bay brick house over a basement with a side-hall plan. There were two rooms above and below. Jefferson's addition is to the east. The addition's portico extends for two stories in front of three main bays, with the entry door centered, flanked by typical Jefferson triple-hung windows extending to the floor. The door and windows are crowned by round windows lighting the upper level. To either side are projecting half-octagon wings with windows matching the central portion. In Jefferson's design and as built, the long octagon was divided into two unequal rooms. The interior was greatly altered following a mid-19th century fire, with the creation of a central hall and a second floor over all. When the property became a country club the second floor was removed in 1929 and the three spaces were combined into a single space. The house was greatly enlarged to the rear with service, dining and accommodation spaces.

Influence

Farmington was extensively studied by University of Virginia architectural historian

Fiske Kimball Sidney Fiske Kimball (1888 – 1955) was an American architect, architectural historian and museum director. A pioneer in the field of architectural preservation in the United States, he played a leading part in the restoration of Monticel ...

, who adapted the design for his own residence, Shack Mountain, now a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. Farmington was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on September 15, 1970.

References

External links

Farmington, U.S. Route 250 vicinity, Charlottesville vicinity, Albemarle, VA
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HABS) {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Albemarle County, Virginia Houses in Albemarle County, Virginia Thomas Jefferson buildings Palladian Revival architecture in Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia