William Thornton Re-examined by Bob Arnebeck

The Doctor Examined, or Why William Thornton Did Not Design the Octagon House or the Capitol by Bob Arnebeck Table of Contents   I am revising this chapter Chapter Five: Hallet Dismissed/Thornton Appointed 57. In 1948 the White House was gutted prior to a complete renovation. The building is about the size of the North Wing of the Old Capitol. This photo gives an idea of the shallow sandstone foundation of both building (be sure to click photo to enlarge it.) 58. Renovation of the White House in 1949 revealed the rough-hewn foundation of the 1790's where designs gave way to the reality of  shovels, mallets and chisels. It's not certain when Thornton arrived, but once in Georgetown, he had much gossip to digest. O n Capitol Hill, where the foundation stones of the Capitol peaked here and there above ground, the commissioners tried to fire Hallet for insubordination.  The fall of Hallet would revitalize the ideas of Doctor Thornton and help seal his future fame ...

The Doctor Examined, or Why William Thornton Did Not Design the Octagon House or the Capitol by Bob Arnebeck Table of Contents Chapter Four: Design by Committee and an Epidemic 46. Jefferson in 1791 In March, accompanied by Rivardi, who was on his way to Norfolk to sail to Tortola and marry a Viennese socialite who had left her husband, Thornton went to the commissioners' meeting in Georgetown and gave them his design. Despite hand delivering a letter from the president, it is doubtful that the president himself handed the letter to Thornton. Throughout this whole process of submission and approval, Thornton had little contact, if any, with the president. Ten months after he submitted his design, Thornton solicited a job as the president's secretary. In that letter, he wrote: “My Situation in Life has precluded me from the honor of being but very partially known to you.”(1) However, the president's letter extolled Thornton's design and seemed to excuse its e...