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. They presumably saw more of the design that the president and Jefferson had seen, and the saw much more of the man who drew it. That Rivardi made a better impression boded ill for the doctor turned architect. The commissioners described Major Rivardi as "a real Enginier." He had served in the Russian Army. They kept him in mind and in January 1794 when Thornton and his design were all but forgotten, they wrote to the president that Rivardi "is not a Shewy man, but he seems to us one of those Characters, who maintains the Ground he has gained; we wi...