Thomas Jefferson Papers

Arthur S. Brockenbrough to Thomas Jefferson, 29 March 1821

From Arthur S. Brockenbrough

University March 29h 1821

Dear Sir

In reply to your note of yesterday enquiring the cost of a Tuscan base & cap,—the Doric base & capitol, & the Ionic & Corinthian bases, and also an exact estimate of the cost of the Library as near as I can come—I send you the within calculations which are accurate as I can make them—



$ . cts
Cost1 of Tuscan base— for Quarrying 1 .60
 Waggonage  .42
 cuting 6 .44  $8 .46
 Tuscan Cap— Quarrying 0 .84
Waggonage 0 .32
Cuting 5 .17 6 .33

The2 cost of the Doric, bases & caps of Pav: 4 West nearly the same

Doric of Pavilion No 1 W.  Base for  Quarrying 12 .80
Waggonage 1 .67
Workmanship  31 .50    45 .973
  Cap   Quarrying 11 .20
Waggonage 1 .67
Working 26 .50    39 .37
 
Ionic Base Quarrying $10 .75
Waggonage  1 .67
Working 29 .06    41 .48
 Corinthian Base  Quarrying 10 .50
Waggonage 1 .67
Work 27 .50 39 .674

we have had a considerable number of door sills worked & a quantity of Steps—a 25c the Superficial foot—5

Estimate of the cost of the Library—

1.050.670 bricks at $11 p M 11.567 .37


10 Bases, 8. half do—24 Window sills—2 door do—1056 feet of steps runing measure—Pedestal Caping & base & flaging for portico } 2.884 .30
Covering dome & Portico with Tin 1840 .00
Carpenters Work & Materials 20 circular Window frames 2 door—4 front Window do—2 floors Joists & the entire external finish of Portico, Entablature, dome roof, attic &c &c } 9031 .19
Total for the Walls & external finish 25.322 .86
  Carpenters & Joiners work internally 2 Stories 7.176 .30
do6    do & materials for terras on each side 2.500 .00
Iron railing 1.500 .00
Painting & Glazing 1.800
Plastering 2.000 .00
Iron mongary about 1.000
$41.299 .16

the foregoing estimate is agreeable to my best judgement.7 I may8 have unintentionally omited some of the charges—in what I have put down I have endeavored to com[e] as near as I could to the cost. I submit the whole to your better judgement & am sir most respectfu[ly] your obt sert

A. S. Brockenbrough

RC (ViU: TJP-PP); edge trimmed; endorsed by TJ as received the day it was written and so recorded in SJL. Dft (ViU: TJP-PP); on verso of TJ to Brockenbrough, 28 Mar. 1821; incomplete; endorsed by Brockenbrough: “An Estimate of the cost of Stone work,” with his additional notations on verso: “Cost Caps bases &c sent to Mr Jefferson” and “Perry Ware Dinsmore Spooner.”

Pavilion IV West (pav: 4 west) was later renamed pavilion VII.

1Dft begins with this word.

2Superfluous ditto mark preceding this word editorially omitted.

3Adjacent to this total in Dft Brockenbrough added 180 to 180 to get 360.

4Dft ends here with Brockenbrough’s additional notation: “

11 Front door sills
23 back do
268  p steps
22 cellar window sills.

5Recto ends here.

6To left of this word is a question mark probably added by TJ.

7Omitted period at right margin editorially supplied.

8Word interlined.

Index Entries

  • Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; as University of Virginia proctor search
  • Brockenbrough, Arthur Spicer; letters from search
  • building materials; bricks search
  • building materials; door and window frames search
  • building materials; iron search
  • building materials; ironmongery search
  • building materials; stone search
  • building materials; tin search
  • Dinsmore, James; as builder for Central College–University of Virginia search
  • marble; for University of Virginia search
  • Spooner, George Wilson; as builder for University of Virginia search
  • tin; for University of Virginia search
  • Virginia, University of; Books and Library; plans for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; building costs search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; building materials for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; capitals for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; carpenters and joiners search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; marble for search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; painters and glaziers search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion I search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Pavilion VII search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; plasterers search
  • Virginia, University of; Construction and Grounds; Rotunda (library) search
  • Ware, Richard; as carpenter for University of Virginia search