Asher Benjamin: American Architect, Author, Artist

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From the rural backwater of Hartland, Connecticut, Asher Benjamin would rise to become one of the most important yet overlooked figures of American architecture in the first half of the nineteenth century. Taking inspiration from the neoclassical designs of the Boston architect Charles Bulfinch, Benjamin would be the driving force behind the transformation of the Connecticut Valley from an isolated provincial outpost to a sophisticated urban frontier. His later Boston designs, many of which survive, evinced a maturity and elegance which made the city a model of Federal design for the young nation. In addition to his building designs, in 1797 Asher Benjamin would write and publish The Country Builder’s Assistant, the first architectural guidebook by a native- born American. Never losing sight of his roots as a rural carpenter and housewright, Benjamin spent his entire career supporting country builders and the establishment of a uniquely American architecture.