Robert Morris's folly the architectural and financial failures of an American founder
"In 1798 Robert Morris-"financier of the American Revolution," confidant of George Washington, former U.S. senator-plunged from the peaks of wealth and prestige into debtors' prison and public contempt. How could one of the richest men in the United States, one of only two Founde...
Gespeichert in:
1. Verfasser: | |
---|---|
Format: | UnknownFormat |
Sprache: | eng |
Veröffentlicht: |
New Haven, Conn. u.a.
Yale Univ. Press
2014
|
Schriftenreihe: | The Lewis Walpole series in eighteenth-century culture and history
|
Schlagworte: |
Morris, Robert
> Finance, Personal
> Homes and haunts
> Morris, Robert 1734-1806
> Founding Fathers of the United States
> BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical
> HISTORY / United States / 19th Century
> HISTORY / Social History
> Philadelphia, Pa.
> Haus
> Architektur
> Ausstattung
> Bankrott
> L'Enfant, Pierre Charles
|
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
Zusammenfassung: | "In 1798 Robert Morris-"financier of the American Revolution," confidant of George Washington, former U.S. senator-plunged from the peaks of wealth and prestige into debtors' prison and public contempt. How could one of the richest men in the United States, one of only two Founders who signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution, suffer such a downfall? This book examines for the first time the fabulously extravagant Philadelphia townhouse Robert Morris built and its role in bringing about his ruin. Part biography, part architectural history, the book recounts Morris's wild successes as a merchant, his recklessness as a land speculator, and his unrestrained passion in building his palatial, doomed mansion, once hailed as the grandest and most expensive private building in the United States but later known as "Morris's Folly." Setting Morris's tale in the context of the nation's founding, this volume refocuses attention on an essential yet nearly forgotten American figure while also illuminating the origins of America's ongoing, ambivalent attitudes toward the superwealthy and their sensational excesses"-- |
---|---|
Beschreibung: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-335) and index |
Beschreibung: | 346 S. Ill., Kt. 25 cm |
ISBN: | 9780300196047 978-0-300-19604-7 |