•HCON 259 EH 
Whereas under the patronage of Count Giangiorgio Trissino 
(1478–1550), Palladio studied architecture, engineering, 
topography, and military science in his mid-twenties; 
Whereas in 1540, Count Trissino renamed him ‘‘Palladio’’, a 
reference to the wisdom of Pallas Athena, as well as the 
Italian form of the name of the Roman writer of the 
fourth century, Rutilius Taurus Aemilianus Palladius; 
Whereas Palladio’s designs for public works, churches, man-
sions, and villas rank among the most outstanding archi-
tectural achievements of the Italian Renaissance; 
Whereas Palladio’s surviving buildings are collectively in-
cluded in the UNESCO World Heritage List; 
Whereas Palladio’s treatise, ‘‘The Four Books of Architec-
ture’’, ranks as the most influential publication on archi-
tecture ever produced and has shaped much of the archi-
tectural image of Western civilization; 
Whereas ‘‘The Four Books of Architecture’’ has served as a 
primary source for classical design for many architects 
and builders in the United States from colonial times to 
the present; 
Whereas Thomas Jefferson called Palladio’s ‘‘The Four 
Books of Architecture’’ the ‘‘Bible’’ for architectural 
practice, and employed Palladio’s principles in estab-
lishing lasting standards for public architecture in the 
United States and in constructing his own masterpiece, 
Monticello; 
Whereas our Nation’s most iconic buildings, including the 
United States Capitol Building and the White House, re-
flect the influence of Palladio’s architecture through the 
Anglo-Palladian movement, which flourished in the 18th 
century;
•HCON 259 EH 
Whereas Palladio’s pioneering reconstruction and restoration 
drawings of ancient Roman temples in ‘‘The Four Books 
of Architecture’’ provided inspiration for many of the 
great American classical edifices of the 19th and 20th 
centuries, in the period known as the American Renais-
sance; 
Whereas the American Renaissance marked the high point of 
the classical tradition and enriched the United States 
from coast to coast with countless architectural works of 
timeless dignity and beauty, including the John A. Wil-
son Building, the seat of government of the District of 
Columbia; 
Whereas the American architectural monuments inspired 
both directly and indirectly by the writings, illustrations, 
and designs of Palladio form a proud and priceless part 
of our Nation’s cultural heritage; and 
Whereas organizations, educational institutions, governmental 
agencies, and many other entities have been celebrating 
this special 500-year anniversary, including the Italian 
National Committee for Andrea Palladio 500, the Centro 
Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, 
the Palladium Musicum, Inc., the Istituto Italiano di 
Cultura, and the Institute of Classical Architecture and 
Classical America, as well as other Italian and Italian 
American cultural organizations, such as the Italian Her-
itage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc., and the 
Italian Cultural Society of Washington, DC, Inc., with a 
wide variety of public programs, publications, symposia, 
proclamation ceremonies, and salutes to the genius and 
legacy of Palladio: Now, therefore, be it
•HCON 259 EH 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) recognizes the 500th anniversary of Andrea 
Palladio’s birth year; 
(2) recognizes his tremendous influence on ar-
chitecture in the United States; and 
(3) expresses its gratitude for the enhancement 
his life and career has bestowed upon the Nation’s 
built environment. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 17, 
2010. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 259 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the birth of 
Italian architect Andrea Palladio.