HCON 407 IH
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 407
Commemorating the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 31, 2008
Mr. PASCRELL (for himself, Mr. MICA, Mr. COBLE, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. PALLONE, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. HARE, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. ARCURI, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HOLT, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, and Ms. DELAURO) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
Whereas 2008 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio;
Whereas Andrea Palladio was born Andrea di Pietro in Padua on November 30, 1508;
Whereas Palladio, born of humble origins, apprenticed as a stonemason in his early life;
Whereas under the patronage of Count Giangiorgio Trissino (1478-1550), in his midtwenties Palladio studied architecture, engineering, topography, and military science;
Whereas in 1540 Count Trissino renamed him ‘Palladio’, a reference to the wisdom of Pallas Athena, as well as the Italian form of the name of the Roman writer of the fourth century, Rutilius Taurus Aemilianus Palladius;
Whereas Palladio’s designs for public works, churches, mansions, and villas rank among the most outstanding architectural achievements of the Italian Renaissance;
Whereas Palladio’s surviving buildings are collectively included in the UNESCO World Heritage List;
Whereas Palladio’s treatise, ‘The Four Books of Architecture’, ranks as the most influential publication on architecture ever produced and has shaped much of the architectural image of Western civilization;
Whereas ‘The Four Books’ has served as a primary source for classical design for many of America’s architects and builders from colonial times to the present;
Whereas Thomas Jefferson called Palladio’s ‘The Four Books’ the ‘Bible’ for architectural practice, and employed Palladio’s principles in establishing lasting standards for America’s public architecture and in constructing his own masterpiece, Monticello;
Whereas our Nation’s most iconic buildings, including the United States Capitol Building and the White House, reflect the influence of Palladio’s architecture through the Anglo-Palladian movement, which flourished in the 18th century;
Whereas Palladio’s pioneering reconstruction and restoration drawings of ancient Roman temples in ‘The Four Books’ provided inspiration for many of the great American classical edifices of the 19th and 20th centuries, in the period known as the American Renaissance;
Whereas the American Renaissance marked the high point of the classical tradition and enriched our country from coast to coast with countless architectural works of timeless dignity and beauty, including the John A. Wilson Building, the seat of government of the District of Columbia;
Whereas the American architectural monuments inspired both directly and indirectly by the writings, illustrations, and designs of Palladio form a proud and priceless part of our Nation’s cultural heritage; and
Whereas organizations, educational institutions, governmental agencies, and many other entities are celebrating this special 500-year anniversary, including the Italian National Committee for Andrea Palladio 500, the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, the Palladium Musicum, Inc., the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, and the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, as well as other Italian and Italian American cultural organizations, such as the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc., and the Italian Cultural Society of Washington, DC, Inc., with a wide variety of public programs, publications, symposia, proclamation ceremonies, and salutes to the genius and legacy of Palladio: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--
(1) commemorates the 500th anniversary of Andrea Palladio’s birth;
(2) recognizes his tremendous influence on American architecture; and
(3) expresses its gratitude for the enhancement his life and career has bestowed upon America’s built environment.
U.S. Congress - Text of H.Con.Res.407 as Introduced in House Commemorating the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
