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.  Sir Archy, an engraving of Tayloe's most famous horse In April 1797, Mr. Tayloe of Virginia rode into the city. The 26 year old head of the richest family in Virginia, as measured by land, slaves, horses, ship building and iron furnaces, had either challenged or accepted a challenge from 36 year old Charles Conan Ridgely for a match race on April 18 for 500 Guineas or $2,600. By tradition, match races were held at a spot equidistant between the opponents. Ridgely's estate was just north of Baltimore and Tayloe's estate, Mount Airy, was just north of Richmond. Nicholson's hotelier Tunnicliff, late from England, prepared a race course near the Capitol where four mile heats could have a convenient start and finish, and conform to the rules of the Annapolis Jockey Club. Two more days of racing would follow with ...

  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 Seven: Thornton v. Hadfield 84. Hadfield's simplification of the 1793 Conference Plan When Hadfield signed his employment contract on October 15, 1795, he "requested permission in the presence of the full board" to give them his opinion "respecting the state of the building, after having procured the designs and examined the work." He wasn't impressed. His first letter to the board mocked the floor plan and the working drawings elaborating it. He wrote again the next day and promised to adapt to what had been built and solved the most glaring problem by drawing an elevation putting the portico and legislative chambers on the ground floor. Why, he asked, did the adopted plan put the chambers in the basement?  Even though Hallet had drawn the adopted plan, Hadfield's comments provoked a di...