In 1796 a 32-year-old, Moravian educated Benjamin Henry Latrobe, arrived in America with eclectic interests, financial difficulties, and a reputation for extravagance. As the “Builder of America,” Latrobe never really understood America and came to find an America that never really understood him. Resisting his efforts to establish architecture as a profession and the inability of his fellow citizens to be educated in good taste, Latrobe remained a snob in a land of idealized equality. In a country where architecture was an innovation and not a transaction among gentlemen, Latrobe found clients interfering with his designs, a lack of appreciation for innovative civic improvements, and a two-year stint in debtor’s prison. Join us for our next free virtual program on Thursday, December 3 at noon with Dr. Jean Harvey Baker, author of "Building America: The Life of Benjamin Henry Latrobe." Dr. Baker will describe a man who was constantly thwarted but remained a shaping figure of Amer...