Dome

South elevation, frontal view of the sun porch; n 1796 Jefferson started remodelling and enlarging Monticello, a scheme he had been considering during his stay in Paris. His first house derived mainly from Palladio; the alterations were based on designs by Antoine Desgodets, Charles Errard the younger and Roland Fréart de Chambray, reflecting the development of his architectural ideas and his reading. These changes resulted in the appearance of a symmetrical one-storey brick house with a prominent wooden balustrade. The west garden façade has a central pedimented portico crowned by a low octagonal drum and shallow dome. Three expert builders from Philadelphia were employed: James Dinsmore from 1798, and James Oldham and John Neilson from 1801. The remodelling was substantially completed by 1809. Numerous ingenious inventions with practical implications were devised. Monticello was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, an honor it shares with the nearby University of Virginia. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 11/14/2007)