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The Rooms
bullet Entrance Hall (1)
bullet South Square Room (2)
bullet Library (3), or Bookroom
bullet South Piazza (4), or Greenhouse
bullet Cabinet (5)
bullet Jefferson's Bedchamber (6)
bullet Parlor (7)
bullet Dining Room (8)
bullet Tea Room (9)
bullet North Octagonal Room (10)
bullet North Square Room (11)
bullet Dome Room Panorama

Related Links
bullet House FAQ
bullet The Madisons
   
   
Related Books
bullet Monticello in Measured Drawings
bullet Worlds of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello

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Printer-friendly formatNorth Octagonal Room

View of North Square Room

Dimensions: 14' 10"x 15' 3"; ceiling 10' 0"

Order: Tuscan

Source: Palladio

Color: French wallpaper -- the original trellis pattern has been reproduced. Jefferson purchased wallpaper for other rooms, but researchers have not yet found enough evidence to reproduce it.

Purpose of Room: Bedroom and possibly a sitting room, used frequently by James and Dolley Madison.

Architectural features: Alcove bed with a closet overhead; based on one of Jefferson's favorite architectural shapes, the octagon; one closet is shaped as a triangle to complete the octagon; triple-sash windows (windows.qt), used in many rooms on the first floor, served both as a doorway and a ventilation device; interior shutters are used throughout the first floor for privacy and insulation.

Furnishings of Note: Today the room holds a desk made in the Monticello joinery, an engraving of James Madison, and paintings of the West Front of Monticello and the view from Monticello, by Jane Braddick Peticolas, painted in 1825.