Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary who Designed Washington, D.C.Pantheon Books, 2007 - 336 Seiten Grand Avenuestells the riveting story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant and the creation of Washington D.C.--from the seeds of his inspiration to the fulfillment of his extraordinary vision. L’Enfant’s story is one of consuming passion, high emotion, artistic genius, and human frailty. As a boy he studied drawing at the most prestigious art institute in the world. As a young man he left his home in Paris to volunteer in the army of the American colonies, where he served under George Washington. There he would also meet many of the people who would have a profound impact on his life, including Alexander Hamilton and James Monroe. And it was Washington himself who, in 1791, entrusted L’Enfant with the planning of the nation’s capital--and reluctantly allowed him to be dismissed from the project eleven months later. The plan for the city was published under another name, and for the remainder of his life L’Enfant fought for recognition of his achievement. But he would not live to see that day, and a century would pass before L’Enfant would be given credit for his brilliant design. Scott W. Berg recounts this tale, richly evocative of time and place, with the narrative verve of a novel and with a cast of characters that ranges from Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers to the surveyor who took credit for L’Enfant’s plans, the assistant who spent a week in jail for his loyalty to L’Enfant, and the men who finally restored L’Enfant’s reputation at the beginning of the twentienth century. Here is a fascinating, little-explored episode in American history: the story of a visionary artist and of the founding of the magnificent city that is his enduring legacy. |
Inhalt
A Pedestal Waiting for a Superstructure | 3 |
An Infinity of Small Moments | 17 |
A Powerful Friend Among the Princes of the Earth | 35 |
Urheberrecht | |
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Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French Visionary ... Scott W. Berg Eingeschränkte Leseprobe - 2008 |
Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French ..., Teil 3 Scott W. Berg Keine Leseprobe verfügbar - 2008 |
Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary who Designed Washington, Teil 3 Scott W. Berg Keine Leseprobe verfügbar - 2007 |
Häufige Begriffe und Wortgruppen
Alexander Hamilton American Andrew Ellicott architect architectural arrived artistic become Benjamin Henry Latrobe Capitol Champs-Élysées Cincinnati city of Washington city's commission commissioners Congress House create Daniel Carroll decade December Duddington Eastern Branch engineer engraving fant fant's federal city federal district Federal Hall finally Frederick Law Olmsted French George Washington Georgetown Gobelins Grand Avenues ground honor hundred Ibid included ington Jenkins Hill L'En L'Enfant wrote L'Enfant's plan land landscape letter lot sale Louis Madison Major L'Enfant Mall March Maryland miles Monroe months Mount Vernon National Capital Paris PCL to GW Peter Charles L'Enfant Philadelphia Pierre Charles L'Enfant planner political Potomac president President's House proprietors public buildings Rick Olmsted river Roberdeau Rock Creek seat of government seemed Soderstrom square Steuben streets Stuart Thomas Attwood Thomas Attwood Digges Thomas Jefferson Tiber tion Tobias Lear town Trumbull Valley Forge Versailles Virginia Wash York
Verweise auf dieses Buch
On This Spot: Pinpointing the Past in Washington, D.C. Douglas E. Evelyn,Paul Dickson Eingeschränkte Leseprobe - 2008 |