Lanier Mansion
The Lanier Mansion is one of the best examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country, and today is acknowledged as the "Crown Jewel" of Madison's Historic District. The south portico, with its colossal Corinthian columns, overlooks the Ohio River. Other distinctive exterior features include the octagonal cupola, oculus windows and iron balustrades. Below the house, formal gardens developed by Lanier's son, Alexander, after the Civil War, have been recreated with plant varieties authentic to the period. The interior, with its central hall and elegant spiral staircase, epitomizes the Greek Revival style. In recent years, restoration and redecoration - made possible largely by funding from private contributions - has recaptured the Mansion's 19th century splendor. The Lanier Mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
About James Franklin Doughty Lanier
James Franklin Doughty Lanier was one of Madison's pioneers. As a result of his activities in banking and railroad development, he became one of the most important and influential figures in Indiana's history in the first half of the 19th century.
Born in North Carolina in 1800, Lanier moved to Madison as a teenager with his parents in 1817, at a time when the town was just beginning to emerge as one of the most important population centers in the state. He and his first wife, Elizabeth Gardner, were married in 1819. After studying law at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, he entered practice as a lawyer. In the 1820s, he served the Indiana Legislature as assistant clerk, then clerk of the House of Representatives. During his tenure with the Legislature, he was involved in the relocation of Indiana's government from Corydon to the new capital, Indianapolis.
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