Chauncey Bradley Ives, Detail of Ithiel Town, 1842, marble sculpture – Yale University Art Gallery
Ithiel Town (1784-1844)
Ithiel Town was one of the most influential architects and engineers of the early 19th century. Born in Thompson, Connecticut, in 1784, in his early 20s he studied architecture in Boston with renowned architect and builder Asher Benjamin. Soon after, Town moved to New Haven and began his own business. In 1820, Town received a patent on his wooden truss bridge—a design that made him famous in the architectural community. Town (in partnership with Andrew Jackson Davis), then went on to form one of the first architectural firms in the United States. Among his most famous designs are the Connecticut State Capitol in New Haven, the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, and the State House in Raleigh, North Carolina.
