Building Washington : engineering and construction of the new Federal City, 1790-1840 / Robert J. Kapsch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kapsch, Robert James, 1942- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

City planning--Washington (D.C.).

City planning.

Social conditions.

Washington (D.C.).

Public works--Washington (D.C.).

Public works.

Washington (D.C.)--History.

History.

Washington (D.C.)--Social conditions.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 333 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 29 cm

Place of Publication:

Baltimore, Maryland : Johns Hopkins University Press, [2018]

Summary:

"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 endeavor would require extensive engineering and the work of skilled builders. By studying an extensive library of original documents--from cost estimates to worker time logs to layout plans--Kapsch has assembled a detailed account of the hurdles that complicated this massive project. While there have been many books on the architecture and planning of this iconic city, Building Washington explains the engineering and construction behind it"--provided by publisher.

Contents:

Project planning and construction efforts. Pierre L'Enfant's two plans for executing the president's vision

Financing the Federal City : the difficulty of collecting adequate funds

Constructing the Federal City : gathering materials and workers

Developing a commercial center: harbor navigation and river improvements

Early infrastructure and transport improvements

Building military defenses for the capital

Building campaigns: the city's first fifty years. The first public building campaign (1791-1802): the commissioners clash with thire architects and workers

The second public building campaign (1803-1811): the president and the architect

The third public building campaign (1815-1824): rebuilding the Federal City

Later transportation improvements: canals and aqueducts

Epilogue: building a new Federal City.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Gift of the author; partially based on research supported by a Charles E. Peterson Fellowship of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia.

ISBN:

9781421424873

1421424878

OCLC:

992120263