Thomas Jefferson’s Memorial History

The memorial was built in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States and one of the main drafters of the Declaration of Independence. The architectural style of the memorial is Neoclassical and is model after the Pantheon of Rome. The circular colonnaded structure is an adaptation of the classical style of architecture Jefferson introduce to the United States. The memorial is composed of circular marble steps, a portico, circular colonnade Iconic order columns and a shallow dome, the build is open to the elements. At the entrance, steps lead to a portico with Ionic columns supporting a triangular pediment. The memorial’s pediment features “The Committee of Five” sculpture. Which depicts the five members of the drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence. The committee of five includes Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston.

Inside, the memorial room is an open space circled by columns made of Vermont marble. A 19-foot bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson stands directly beneath the dome of the memorial. The statue weighs 5 tons and stands on a 6 foot pedestal of black granite. On the walls of the memorial are inscriptions of Jefferson’s writings which speaks of his beliefs in freedom, education of all people, and the need for a change in laws and institutions of a democracy.

Construction of the memorial begin on December 5, 1938 and was completed in 1943. The cornerstone was laid on November 15, 1939 by President Franklin D Roosevelt. The memorial was dedicated on April 13, 1943 which was the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s birth.

The designer of the memorial was John Russell Pope. Pope’s design choice for the memorial made references to the Roman Pantheon and Jefferson’s own design for the Rotunda at the University of Virginia. Upon Pope’s death in August 1937, Architects Daniel P. Higgins and Otto R Eggers were chosen to complete the memorial. The pediment sculpture was completed by Adolph Alexander Weinman. The Jefferson’s statue was sculpted by Rudolph Evans. The landscape architect was Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

The most notable change of the memorial was the replacement of the plaster model of the Jefferson statue. Due to material shortages during World War II, the statue installed in the memorial was a plaster cast of Evan’s work painted to look bronze. The Jefferson statue that resides in the memorial today was installed in 1947.