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 Chapter 12: Designing the Octagon 132. 18th century dragoon In July 1798, President Adams asked the General to once again be a general, and r aise a provisional army to defend the country from possible French aggression. John Tayloe III promptly volunteered and the General so informed the secretary of war who would then see that the president included Tayloe in the long list of officers sent to the Senate for confirmation. The General did not doubt that it would give the president "pleasure to find Gentlemen in his situation, and Independent fortunes, stepping forward at such a Crisis with a tender of their Services." To the secretary of war, the General described Tayloe as "among the most wealthy & respectable men in this State; active, zealous & attentive to whatever he undertakes...." It took over five months for Adams to forwa...

The Doctor Examined, or Why William Thornton Did Not Design the Octagon House or the Capitol by Bob Arnebeck   Table of contents  Chapter Eleven: The Ingenious A 116. Law's 1800 house became the fulcrum of the Varnum Hotel In 1798, Thomas Law signed a building contract with William Lovering, and George Washington signed a building contract with George Blagden. Law's house featured oval rooms. The General's duplex was boilerplate boarding house. In the late 19th century, Glenn Brown credited Thornton for designing the General's house based on his correspondence with Thornton but Brown neither cited nor quoted any letters in particular. Brown did not credit Thornton for designing Law's house, and W. B. Bryan thought it very likely that Lovering was the architect. One hundred years later, C. M. Harris discovered that Thornton designed it, and other architectural historians now agree. According to Harris, Thornton drew the designs for both Law and the General. Those ...