SCON 69 IS
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. CON. RES. 69
Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 28, 2010
Mr. ENZI submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
Whereas 2008 was the 500th anniversary of the birth year 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), Palladio studied architecture, engineering, topography, and military science in his mid-twenties;
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 of Architecture’ has served as a primary source for classical design for many architects and builders in the United States from colonial times to the present;
Whereas Thomas Jefferson called Palladio’s ‘The Four Books of Architecture’ the ‘Bible’ for architectural practice, and employed Palladio’s principles in establishing lasting standards for public architecture in the United States 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 of Architecture’ 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 the United States 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;
Whereas a special exhibition, ‘Palladio and His Legacy: A Transatlantic Journey’, featuring 31 original Palladio drawings, organized by the Royal Institute of British Architects Trust in association with the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, demonstrates how Palladio’s work has significantly influenced American architecture from colonial times to the present and will travel to The Morgan Library & Museum, the National Building Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and The Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art during the years 2010 and 2011; and
Whereas other organizations, educational institutions, museums, governmental agencies and many other entities have continued to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Palladio, beyond the year 2008, including the Italian National Committee for Andrea Palladio 500, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America, the Center for Palladian Studies in America, Inc. and the Palladium Musicum, Inc., as well as Italian American cultural organizations, such as the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc., with a wide variety of public programs, museum exhibits, publications, symposia, proclamation ceremonies and salutes to the genius and legacy of Palladio. Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That the Congress--
(1) recognizes the 500th anniversary of Andrea Palladio’s birth year;
(2) recognizes his tremendous influence on architecture in the United States; and
(3) expresses its gratitude for the enhancement his life and career has bestowed upon the Nation’s built environment.
U.S. Congress - Text of S.Con.Res.69 as Introduced in Senate A concurrent resolution recognizing the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian archi...
