William Thornton Re-examined by Bob Arnebeck

  Chapter 10: The General’s Houses and Plots to Save Dr. T’s Reputation   Plaque in Upper Senate Park A plaque in Upper Senate Park just north of the Capitol credits Dr. William Thornton for designing George Washington’s “two brick dwellings.” Glenn Brown based that claim and that Thornton superintended their construction on "the letters of Washington." Brown didn't quote or cite any letters. A hundred years late, C. M. Harris did. In August 1798, Thornton gave a "plan" to Thomas Peter who, on August 26, then passed it on to the General who sent it back to Peter the next day with only this comment: "Doctr Thorntons plan is returned with thanks; our love to Patsy." She was the Custis sister who married Peter who was the son of Robert Peter who had owned Peter’s Hill when the General had bought lots there. Harris and the editors of Washington's Papers have deduced that the plan in question had to be a design for the General’s houses. Howev...

Table of Contents  I am rewriting this chapter    Epilogue: John Quincy Adams' Diary Thornton's heroic claims about designing and overseeing construction of the Capitol have all been examined. His long tenure at the Patent Office relieved him of any power over the Capitol beyond what the president might grant. However, the way he managed his new office reflected on his pretensions as an architect. In general, he thought there was nothing new under the sun, but he soon gained a reputation for claiming prior invention for anything that was new. He tried to boast his way into being more than just the Author of the Capitol. Then as his enthusiasm for South American revolutions grew so did his claims.  In Secretary of State John Quincy Adams's diary, one finds the best documentation of Thornton's way of lying. As his boss, next door neighbor, and friend, Adams got to know Thornton well. His reaction in his 1823 diary to their most disconcerting encounter is an apt preface...

Table of contents The General Dies and Jefferson Resurrects the Ideas of Dr. Thornton  The North Wing in 1800 As the city came to life with the arrival of the federal government in 1800, Thornton’s reputation as an architect depended solely on the Capitol. He might have been proud that Carroll’s two houses were bigger than the General’s two houses. But when Carroll tried to sell them in 1801, they were nothing to brag about. The advertisement described them as “finished in a plain but substantial manner, and built of the best materials...."(1) Despite being one of the commissioners, Thornton was unable to associate his name with the design of the North Wing. On November 18, 1799, Superintendent Hoban handed the commissioners the report that proved that the building was ready to receive congress. The commissioners added  his reports on the other public buildings  and sent them all to Philadelphia where they were printed and submitted to congress along with President Adams...