Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the architect of the 1802 restoration of Nassau Hall and the twin buildings, Stanhope and Philosophical Hall, was one of the founders of the profession of architecture in America. He brought to this country his European training and standards in both architecture and engineering, and helped to establish the respect for the contribution of the architect to the building process.
The son of an Irish father and an American mother, Latrobe was born on 1 May 1764, near Leeds England, and was educated in Germany. He also traveled through France and Italy. He received training in engineering and architecture from John Smeaton and Samuel Pepys Cockerell. His early training and travel, and exposure to the work of John Soane, influenced his interest in the new classicism and strong geometric forms. After briefly establishing an office in London, Latrobe's first wife died, and he decided to begin anew in America. He arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 20, 1796, aged 31. According to architectural historian Edward C. Carter, "What Latrobe brought to the American scene were the latest English architectural and engineering principles and practices, an unusual organizational capacity, an ability to locate trained personnel at all levels of expertise, and a natural educator's inclination for nurturing the creative impulse of young technologists."
After a period in Virginia, Latrobe moved north to Philadelphia. In that city he directed the completion of a project to improve the city's water supply and built the Bank of Pennsylvania, considered the first great American Greek Revival building. During 1802, he completed his work at Princeton and moved on to Washington, where, on March 6, 1803, President Jefferson granted him the post of Surveyor of the Public Buildings. Latrobe is perhaps best known for his work on the Capitol in Washington, D. C., and the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Baltimore. His career included a range of projects including private houses, government offices, arsenals, banks, exchanges, academic buildings, and public monuments, which were required by the growing nation. His two most notable pupils were William Strickland and Robert Mills. While pursuing work in New Orleans, Latrobe died of yellow fever, on September 3, 1820.
Latrobe had become familiar with the Princeton area during his honeymoon in the New Jersey area with his second wife, in 1800. His work at the College, as that executed for other academic or ecclesiastical institutions was done for no fee, as Latrobe was committed to furthering the work of educational institutions. His work at the College reflects his interest in spare massings of space and geometric shapes, yet the buildings were also of a design that allowed them to be turned to a variety of purposes. An interesting innovation in the restoration of Nassau Hall was an unsuccessful attempt to use sheet iron for the roof. The work in Princeton came at a moment when Latrobe had been unable to find architectural projects suitable to his talent, and probably came as a relief after his work surveying the Susquehanna River in the winter of 1802. After restoring Nassau Hall, Latrobe was approached by other academic institutions including Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.