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Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), author of the American Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States, was also a talented architect of neoclassical buildings. He designed Monticello (1769–1809), his plantation home, and his ideal 'academical village' (1817–26), which is still the heart of the University of Virginia. Jefferson's use of an architectural vocabulary based upon classical antiquity symbolizes both the aspirations of the new American republic as the inheritor of European tradition and the cultural experimentation that could be expected as the country matured.

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Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville are the two major works of Thomas Jefferson (president, writer, architect), and outstanding examples of neoclassical architecture. He was inspired by Andrea Palladio's Four Books of Architectureand several trips to Europe.

Monticello (1769-1809) is an example of a neoclassic villa rustica, based on a Roman design. The estate included a plantation for growing tobacco and corn, later replaced by the more lucrative wheat. It also held living quarters for his many workers and slaves.

The Academical Village of the University of Virginia was based on Jefferson's educational ideals, "that learning is a lifelong and shared process, and that interaction between scholars and students enlivens the pursuit of knowledge." Its most famous building is The Rotunda, which sits at the north end of the Lawn. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/charlottesville.html