Enfilade

Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis, Maryland, designed by William Buckland in 1774. Buckland was inspired by Palladio’s Villa Pisani, Montagnana, as published in The Four Books of Architecture.

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Now on view:

Buckland and Palladio: A Legacy of Design
Hammond-Harwood House Museum, Annapolis, Maryland, 1 April — 30 December 2024

When William Buckland designed the Hammond-Harwood House in 1774, he was inspired by the designs of 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. The Hammond-Harwood House celebrates its 250th anniversary with an exhibition of early documents, paintings, and artifacts that provide context for Matthias Hammond’s house—including Buckland’s indenture papers and a drawing by Thomas Jefferson.

When the Hammond-Harwood House was designed for Matthias Hammond in 1774, Annapolis was in its Golden Age. There were 14 major houses either already built or underway for the politically active leaders of the Revolution: John Brice, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, William Paca, John Ridout, and Upton Scott. Hammond, a wealthy 25-year-old tobacco planter and delegate to the Maryland General Assembly, had a handsome inheritance and a keen business sense to purchase four acres in Annapolis to build his own “town house.”

Hammond hired the joiner, carpenter, and architect William Buckland to design his city home. Buckland had been indentured to George Mason since his arrival in Virginia in 1755 to complete Mason’s plantation home, Gunston Hall. Buckland left Mason with high recommendations and bought a farm in Virginia, set up a workshop, and worked on other estates, including Mount Airy, the Tayloe family plantation.

Buckland moved to Annapolis most likely at the urging of Tayloe’s son-in-law Edward Lloyd. Lloyd, a wealthy merchant and planter, had purchased a half-finished brick house in Annapolis begun by Samuel Chase, now known as the Chase-Lloyd House. Buckland agreed to complete its construction and devise the impressive interior that showcased his skill inspired by the designs of the 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580).

Palladio was an Italian Renaissance architect who was influenced by Greek and Roman architecture and is considered to be, even today, one of the most influential figures in the history of architecture. His treatise, I quattro libri dell’architettura (The Four Books of Architecture), was first printed in Italian in 1570, followed by several reprints and a full English version published in London by Giacomo Leoni in 1715–1720.

In Buckland’s design for Hammond’s city house, he adapted the plans of the Villa Pisani at Montagnana from Palladio’s Four Books. The five-part plan house, composed of a central block with wings on each side and connected by a passage, was well-suited to the tastes and climates of the southern colonies. By 1760, the manor houses of the Chesapeake and Tidewater plantation owners were primarily of the five-part Palladian plan—essentially a Palladian country villa.

Although Buckland is thought to have designed many interiors in Virginia and Maryland, including Tulip Hill, Whitehall, and Ringgold House, little documentation exists. The Hammond-Harwood House is the only known commission for a full building design and attests to Buckland’s knowledge of English Palladianism and the current fashion in decoration.