James Hoban (1762-1831) Designed the new president's house in 1792, and supervised the construction. It was built of Virginia freestone on the front, and the remainder was painted white, forever being called the White House. He also designed some hotels in Washington, D.C. and supervised the rebuilding of the White House when it was destroyed in the War of 1812.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) The third President of the U.S. is also noted for his own unique contributions to the field of natural history and especially to the field of architecture. His famous mansion home at Monticello incorporates many ideas emphasizing form and function.
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) A bit of intrigue ensued when the chief planner and architect of the District of Columbia was dismissed by Thomas Jefferson in 1792, and he took all the maps and plans with him. But Benjamin Banneker, a member of the survey team, was able to reconstruct most of the plans from memory and improve on them. Thanks to Banneker, today we have a much more sensible plan than what was originally set forth.
