The "Lancaster's Unfinished Masterpiece" Story

Drawing and watercolor of Lancaster's Courthouse by Benjamin Latrobe.

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the "Lancas- trian" Facebook page and came across a rather unique unfinished watercolor print that was submitted by Benton Webber.  He said the watercolor came from a book written by Lancaster author Jack Loose.  The watercolor was allegedly painted by American architect and engineer Benjamin Latrobe who happened to be visiting Lancaster in 1802 when he painted the watercolor.  The scene is from the southeast, looking towards the north and northeast corners of the Square.  At this time the County Office Building (Old City Hall) at the extreme left was the office building for the state government then using Lancaster as the state capital.  

Benjamin Henry Latrobe

In the middle is the courthouse that held the legislative chambers, with the House of Representatives on the first floor and the Senate on the second floor.  The watercolor seems to be unfinished for reasons unknown.  Benjamin Henry Latrobe was born in Fulneck, near Leeds, Yorkshire, England on May 1, 1764 and attended the Moravian College at Niesky, Saxony where he acquired a knowledge of advanced French architecture.  After travels to France and Italy, he returned to England in 1784 where he was apprenticed to John Smeaton and also studied Neoclassical architecture and engineering under Samuel Pepys Cockerell.  In 1790 he married Lydia Sellon with whom he had three children, losing his wife while giving birth in 1793.  In 1795 Mr. Latrobe suffered a breakdown and emigrated to the United States, initially settling in Virginia where he designed the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond.  

Basillica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

He gained notice for his series of topological and landscape water- colors.  Soon after, he moved to Philadelphia where he established an arch- itectural firm.  In 1803 he was appointed by President Jefferson as Surveyor of the Public Buildings of the United States and spent the next 14 years working on projects in the new national capital of Washington, D.C.  He has been called the "father of American architecture".  His most famous work is the Basillica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Baltimore.  He died of yellow fever on September 3, 1820.  At one point during 1802 he must have passed through Lancaster and took the time to draw the center of the city and begin to watercolor the drawing before being called to another location and never finishing his work.  That is the artwork that was posted by Mr. Webber on Facebook today.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.