Today in History
May 01
1931: The Empire State Building in New York City opened.
1764: Library of Congress: Benjamin Henry Latrobe, considered to be the first professional architect in America, was born at in Yorkshire, England. The son of a Pennsylvania-born musician and an Irish-born minister and church leader. He emigrated to Virginia in 1795-96. In 1798 Latrobe made the acquaintance of Thomas Jefferson, himself an avid amateur architect. Following Latrobe's Philadelphia successes, in 1803 Jefferson, then president, invited Latrobe to Washington to become the first "Surveyor of the Public Buildings" of the United States. In this post Latrobe was responsible for ongoing construction of the White House and U.S. Capitol Building, along with all other Federal building projects in the nation's new capital.
SCIENCE IN HISTORY
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