John Wood the Elder was an enterprising architect. He purchased a large tract of land circa 1750 to pursue his dream of creating row houses shaped as three grand, semi-circular buildings. The complex is called The Circus. They form an impressive oval of Palladian Revival architecture. The facades have three types of column orders. They are accented with a frieze border containing over 500 different symbols. The black railings define basement patios. Unfortunately, he died soon after the project began. His son finished this wonderful architecture in 1768.