The Governor's Palace A Panoramic View of the Front Art Print

A Museum Quality Art Print of the Governor's Palace a Panoramic View of the Front for sale by Brandywine General Store. This grand residence is located at Williamsburg Virginia, the colonial capitol. This grand dwelling was finished in 1722 after 16 years of construction and continuous cost overruns and mounting expenses. The term "palace" was first used in 1714 and it is not clear today if the term was used to signify a grand building or to make fun of the huge cost of construction. For colonial Virginia this was indeed a palace, however it did not compare to the European palaces of the time. The original building had 3 floors with each floor being 3,380 square feet in size. Two advance buildings with gabled roofs stood at each end running perpendicular to the main structure. This palace was home to seven royal governors who were Alexander Spotswood, Francis Fauquier, Lord Botetourt, Hugh Drysdale, William Gooch, Robert Dinwiddie and John Murray, the 4th Earl of Dunmore. It was also home to two post colonial governors after the United States gained its independence from Britain. These were Patrick Henry from 1776 to 1779 and Thomas Jefferson from 1779 to 1780. Thomas Jefferson was designing additions and restorations, however the legislature of Virginia at this time voted to move the Capitol to Richmond in 1780, thus Jefferson was the last occupant. The building burnt to the ground in 1781. The current building is a replica built in 1934. Picture #390 an original archival historical print by Brandywine general Store.