Thomas Jefferson Papers
Documents filtered by: Date="1820-06-07"
sorted by: date (ascending)
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-16-02-0007

Arthur S. Brockenbrough to Thomas Jefferson, 7 June 1820

From Arthur S. Brockenbrough

University June 7th 1820

Dear Sir,

I am sorry I was out of place yesterday when you were here, as I wished to see and take your, wishes & opinion on several subjects, Viz. 1st On the propriety of substituting tin gutters for Wood over the Dormitories & Flat roofed Pavilions—it takes 26 Feet of gutter to go over the dormitory & that at about 25 cents pr foot for Materials & workmanship will cost $6.50 for each gutter—a box of tin will make 8 gutters which at 15 $ ⅌ box will be say $2. for the tin necessary for each gutter, the workmanship for puting in the same 1$ more pr gutter all other work preparing, will not be more than $2.34—makg in all $ 5.34 the cost of each tin gutter for the dormitories—1. D. 16 C. less than the wooden gutter—Tin under the floor will in all probability last longer than the wood, & may be so laped or sodered as to prevent leaks—2nd Subject, do you wish the ornaments for the metop layed down by Nicholson put in the Frize of Pavilion No 2 E. Range3d Would not the Cornice & Entablature of the Pavilions look better to be of a stone colour than perfectly white?—4th the expence of Hotel windows1 may be very considerably reduced by substituting 10 by 12 Glass for 12 by 12—the first will cost pr light 25 cents including Glass & 2 coat puntey the 2nd about 55 cents pr light—5th I send you a small peice of marble brought from Philadelphia by G. Raggi, would it not be well to enquire what it can be had for per foot in Philadelphia, also the freight of it to Richmond? M. Raggi complains much of this stone—6th The Mr Raggis will be looking in a short time for their families, and are frequently at me to have a small house put up for each one, must I do so? I would adopt the cheapest possible plan for them—Our pipe borers are laying down the logs they are down for 300 yards—I have conveyed it 300 yards in a covered ditch at the end of which is a reservoir, 6 by 7 feet & 5 feet deep from whence I take the water—the contract for brick work is made at 10$ for common & place bricks 16$ for the front or rubed stretchers—C. Carter has Pav: No 3 & Hotel A—Perry & Thorn Pav: No 4 & Hotel B—W. Phillips Pav: No 5 & Hotel C—& the dormitories divided amongst them—in haste

I am Sir respectfully
your Obt sevt

A. S. Brockenbrough

RC (ViU: TJP-PP); between dateline and salutation: “Thomas Jefferson Esqr”; endorsed by TJ as received 14 June 1820 and so recorded in SJL.

pavilion no 2 e. range at the University of Virginia was later redesignated as Pavilion IV.

place bricks were “made of soft clay, and laid on a prepared surface to harden before being burnt.” front bricks were used for the fronts of buildings. Rubbed (rubed) brick is “a soft clay brick with a smooth polished surface, chiefly used for ornamental and high-quality brickwork” (OED description begins James A. H. Murray, J. A. Simpson, E. S. C. Weiner, and others, eds., The Oxford English Dictionary, 2d ed., 1989, 20 vols. description ends ).

Pavilions no 3, no 4, and no 5 were later redesignated as pavilions VI, VIII, and X, respectively. The East Range hotels in question later became known as hotels B, D, and F, respectively.

1Word interlined.

Index Entries

  • Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; as University of Virginia proctor search
  • Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; letters from search
  • building materials; bricks search
  • building materials; logs search
  • building materials; marble search
  • building materials; tin search
  • building materials; window glass search
  • Carter, Curtis; as brick mason for University of Virginia search
  • glass, window; for University of Virginia search
  • gutters; at University of Virginia search
  • marble; and G. Raggi and M. Raggi search
  • Nicholson, Peter search
  • Perry, John M.; as builder for Central College–University of Virginia search
  • Phillips, William B.; as brick mason for University of Virginia search
  • pipes, water; for University of Virginia search
  • Raggi, Giacomo; as stonecutter at University of Virginia search
  • Raggi, Giacomo; family of search
  • Raggi, Michele; as stonecutter at University of Virginia search
  • Raggi, Michele; family of search
  • Thorn, Abia B.; as brick mason for University of Virginia search
  • tin; for University of Virginia search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; dormitory rooms search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; gutters for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Hotel A search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Hotel B search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Hotel C search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; hotels search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; ornamental work search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion IV search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; pavilions search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion VI search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion VIII search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion X search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; roofs search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; stonecutters at search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; water for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; water pipes for search
  • water; pipes search
  • wood; for gutters search
  • wood; for water pipes search