An architectural masterpiece, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello gives testimony to its creator's ingenuity and breadth of interests. Located on a mountaintop in Albemarle County, the house commands a view of the rolling Virginia countryside that Jefferson so dearly loved. It was here that he retreated from the pressures of public office, having served as governor of Virginia, minister to the court of Louis XVI of France, secretary of state, vice president, and ultimately the third president of the United States. Architecture endured as one of Jefferson's chief delights. The house was built and subsequently remodeled over a period of 40 years, reflecting the pleasure he found in, "Putting up and pulling down." Throughout are reminders of Jefferson's thoughtful mind and keen interest in the scientific, including an entrance hall that functioned as a museum for fossils, a buffalo head, elk antlers, and a seven-day clock, which indicated the day in addition to the hour. No other house in America so accurately conveys the personality of its owner. Today, the architectural masterpiece is the only house in the United States on the United Nations' prestigious World Heritage List of International Treasures.