Details

Subject(s)

• City planning—Washington (D.C.) [Browse]
• Public works—Washington (D.C.) [Browse]
• Washington (D.C.)—History [Browse]
• Washington (D.C.)—Social conditions [Browse]

Summary note

"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.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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.

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ISBN

• 9781421424873 (hardcover)
• 1421424878 (hardcover)

LCCN

2017030368

OCLC

992120263

Other standard number

• 40028229321

RCP

C - S

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