Let there be math..........

Architectural Design

When construction began at Poplar Forest in 1806, Jefferson was still President of the United States. He supervised the construction from Washington, DC.^[10] Thomas Jefferson was a self-taught architect known for his work at Monticello and the Virginia State Capitol; he frequently borrowed designs from classical sources, and was attracted to Palladio's classical architecture in Rome as well as designs from 16th century France.^[10] Jefferson designed Poplar Forest as his personal retreat house, and selected the property because of its distance from his public life.^[11]
The octagonal house may have been the first of its kind to have been built in the United States.^[12] The house at Poplar Forest is made of brick and has an octagonal floor plan; it consists of a central square space and three sides made of elongated octagon rooms. There is an entry hall on the remaining side of the house, which is two smaller rooms divided by a short entry hall. There is a skylight in the central dining room and its dimensions are 20’ x 20’ x 20’, which makes it a perfect cube.^[10] Jefferson also elected to add pedimented porticoes on low arcades that were attached to both the northern and southern facades as well as the east and west stairwells.^[10] Scholars agree that the retreat house at Poplar Forest is an excellent example of octagonal symmetry; Jefferson's design for the building reflects a consistent geometric approach likely made possible by his well-known proficiency in algebra, geometry, trigonometry and Newtonian calculus.^[10]