Architecture

When Isaac and Nelly Madison Hite decided to build a manor home in the Shenandoah Valley, Nelly's brother, the future president James Madison, suggested they seek design advice from Thomas Jefferson. Many of the ideas Jefferson suggested were used for his own home, Monticello, completed a few years before.

Jefferson's ideas included:

• A grand, columned entry portico
• Glass transoms to bring sunlight into rooms
• T-shaped hallway, allowing front-to-back and side-to-side ventilation
• Raised basement to separate living spaces from kitchen and storage areas

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