10 Landmark American Architectural Works Spanning Colonial to Postmodern Eras

The diverse architectural styles in America showcase the country's changing identity. Independence Hall, constructed between 1732 and 1753 by Andrew Hamilton and Edmund Woolley, was the site where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. Its steeple was reconstructed in 1828 by William Strickland. Monticello, the Neoclassical residence of Thomas Jefferson (1769-1809), is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was built using slave labor. The U.S. Capitol, initiated in 1793 under William Thornton's design, was set ablaze in 1814 and later reconstructed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and Charles Bulfinch. Trinity Church in Boston, finished in 1877 by Henry Hobson Richardson, includes artwork by John La Farge. The Chrysler Building, completed in May 1930 by William van Alen, held the title of the tallest building in the world for 11 months.