George Hadfield (architect)

George Hadfield (1763 – 6 February 1826) was born in Livorno, Italy of English parents, who were hotel-keepers. He studied at the Royal Academy, and worked with James Wyatt for six years before emigrating to the United States. He was also the brother of Maria Cosway, a famous painter who is best noted for her alleged affair with Thomas Jefferson, when he was the Ambassador to France between 1785–1789.

He was appointed superintendent of the United States Capitol's construction on 15 October 1795, and continued in that position until June 1798, resigning after an argument with William Thornton. He is credited with part of the design of the original Capitol building such as the north wing, but little of the related papers remain.

He is buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

List of works

• Treasury Department, 1800
• Navy Department, 1800
• Washington Jail, 1801
• Marine Corps Commandant's House, 1801–1805
• Arlington House (Custis-Lee Mansion), 1818
• District of Columbia City Hall, 1820
• Van Ness Mausoleum

Possible works

• Historic Huntley

Other

There are other works. However they are not easily identified, since they are not in the Greek Revival style. For example, Hadfield is credited with alterations to The Octagon House.

Gallery

• 

  District of Columbia City Hall

• Van Ness Mausoleum - Washington, D.C..jpg

  Van Ness Mausoleum

• 

  Front view of Arlington House

• 

  Commandant of the Marine Corps' house at 8th & I SE

• 

  The US Treasury building in 1804. This building was burned by the British on 25 August 1814.

See also

• Étienne Sulpice Hallet
• James Hoban
• Benjamin Latrobe

External links

• Historical Marker for Executive Office Building
• Historical Marker for Huntley
• Library of Congress Built in America (Search "George Hadfield")
  • District of Columbia City Hall, 451 Indiana Avenue Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC

• Tatman.
• Bryan, pp 314–315, states that it was 28 May 1798, and that Hadfield said he had not been paid for plans for the state and war office buildings.
• Dunlap, page 336.
• Bryan, pages 315–318. Bryan gives some of the background, noting that until Hadfield's discharge, all of the detailed working drawings were done by Hallett or Hadfield, and that Thornton started to produce detailed drawings after this point after failing to obtain them from Hallett.
• 
  Two of the pictures here are said to be based on Hadfield's designs.
• Historical marker for the Old Executive Office Building which replaced this in 1871 says it was designed in 1797, and that James Hoban designed the War Department.
• 
  According to Bednar, the jail was built in 1802, a two-story brick building, which was used for the Washington Infirmary Hospital after 1853, until it burned in 1861.
• Moeller, page 337.
• Gutheim, page 45.
• See historical marker.
• Moeller, pages 176–177.