 It was constructed of local limestone quarried on the property, and, according to prevailing custom, was intended to display the owners' high social and financial status.Thomas Jefferson, through the agency of his friend James Madison, made a number of suggestions to the architect which strongly influenced the final design.Madison is known to have visited the plantation several times, even staying in the "Old Hall" (before the larger house was built) during his own honeymoon in 1794.