Architecture of Democracy

Neoclassical architecture became the visual language of democracy. The United States Capitol, the British Museum, the Panthéon in Paris — all use Greek columns and Roman domes to project values of reason, stability, and democratic heritage. Thomas Jefferson designed his home Monticello and the University of Virginia in Neoclassical style.

Neoclassicism proved adaptable to any political agenda. Napoleon, the American Republic, and the British Empire all adopted its visual authority. A Corinthian column could legitimize a bank, a courthouse, or a dictator's palace with equal conviction.