Barboursville Explained as a Root-2 System
Alright Geometry fans ... this could happen.
Introduction:
The home known as Barboursville was designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1817 for the Virginia Governor James Barbour and is located in Orange County, Virginia; northeast of Charlottesville. The structure suffered a fire in 1894 but walls and columns remain. Jefferson supplied Barbour with a drawing including a plan, elevation and specific notes that detailed particular dimensions and construction material quantities. Additionally, Jefferson allowed Barbour’s builders access to Monticello as a point of reference for construction techniques. Barboursville is visually similar to Monticello’s west entrance and central core of rooms. Its uniqueness is how it represents a root-2 proportional system that ties the elevation to the plan. This concept is evident when considering the dome Jefferson had planned as an option but which Babour chose not to use.