Description
Book SynopsisA richly illustrated behind-the-scenes tour of how the nation's capital was built. In 1790, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson set out to build a new capital for the United States of America in just ten years. The area they selected on the banks of the Potomac River, a spot halfway between the northern and southern states, had few resources or inhabitants. Almost everything needed to build the federal city would have to be brought in, including materials, skilled workers, architects, and engineers. It was a daunting task, and these American Founding Fathers intended to do it without congressional appropriation. Robert J. Kapsch's beautifully illustrated book chronicles the early planning and construction of our nation's capital. It shows how Washington, DC, was meant to be not only a government center but a great commercial hub for the receipt and transshipment of goods arriving through the Potomac Canal, then under construction. Picturesque plans would not be enough; the endea
Trade ReviewRich in period detail thanks to Kapsch's extensive use of original documents, drawings and illustrations, and cost data for context,
Building Washington is a fascinating look at the creation of the seat of our democracy.
—Ray Bert,
Civil EngineeringKapsch, a historian of engineering, focuses principally on the decades between the passage of the Residence Act of 1790, which selected the site for the new nation's capital, and the repair and reconstruction efforts that followed the burning of public buildings by British troops in 1814. The narrative centers on the transition from an eighteenth-century mode of construction led by "gentleman planters" to one orchestrated by professionally trained "architect-engineers." Along the way, Kapsch examines the supply chains, building techniques, financial expedients, and political wrangling that went into making the city.
—David Schley,
Journal of Southern HistoryBuilding Washington is a meticulously detailed account of the early construction of the capital city . . . The work will provide a treasure trove for research specialists in engineering and construction practices of the early republic and an informative reference work for enthusiastic Washingtonians.
—Thomas J. Brown, University of South Carolina,
Journal of American HistoryTable of ContentsTimeline
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
1. Pierre L’Enfant’s Two Plans for Executing the President’s Vision
2. Financing the Federal City
3. Constructing the Federal City
4. Developing a Commercial Center
5. Early Infrastructure and Transport Improvements
6. Building Military Defenses for the Capital
Part II
7. The First Public Building Campaign (1791-1802)
8. The Second Public Building Campaign (1803-1811)
9. The Third Public Building Campaign (1815-1824)
10. Later Transportation Improvements
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
