This block of four illustrates examples of early American architecture. Each of the buildings was selected for its enduring beauty, strength, and usefulness. Pictured are the Philadelphia Exchange, the Boston State House, the Baltimore Cathedral, and the Rotunda of the University of Virginia, which was designed by Thomas Jefferson.
American Architecture Series
On June 4, 1979, the USPS issued the first block of four stamps in the American Architecture Series.
The series was created to honor the evolution of American architecture over the last two centuries. Walter D Richards designed all of the stamps, and each includes the name of the architect, their birth and death years, and the name of the building.
The first stamps in the series were issued on June 4, 1979, in Kansas City, Missouri at the National Convention of American Institute of Architects. The buildings pictured on these stamps are generally from the period of Classic Revival of the Post-Colonial Period to the Greek Revival, which lasted until about 1860.
Each building was selected for its enduring beauty, strength, and usefulness. Pictured are the William Strickland’s Philadelphia Exchange, Charles Bulfinch’s Boston State House, Benjamin Henry Latrobe’s Baltimore Cathedral, and the Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Rotunda.