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Philadelphia, May 18th 1803. –
Dear Sir You will herewith
receive the designs for Dickinson College which I promised you.
In forming them, I have endeavored to take all the circumstances which
you stated to me into consideration, and to do the best for you which
they would permit. – I will beg leave to state to you the principles
which have governed me in the distribution, & arrangement of the apartments.
–
The two aspects, the
most unpleasant in our climate are the North East & the North West.
The extreme cold of the North West winds in winter, & their dryness,
which causes a rapid evaporation so thoroughly chills the walls of every
house, expose to them, that when the wind, as is almost always the case,
changes afterwards to the West & S.W. & becomes warmer & moister,
– the water is precipated upon the Walls from the air, by their coldness,
– as upon the outside of a Glass of cold Water in warm weather, – and they
soon stream with humidity. – The North East winds bring along rain &
sleet, – & their violence
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drives the moisture into every wall of
which the material will permit it. – The unpleasantness of the winds
is aggravated by the
This Law governs the designs
herewith presented to you. On the North are the
Vestibule & Lobbies, or passages. They protect the Southern rooms
from the effect of the Northern winds. On this Aspect I have also placed
the dining room, a room only occasionally occupied for a short time, – &
the School rooms above it, – which by means of Stoves, & the
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concourse of Students are easily kept
warm. There are indeed two chambers in the N. E wing on each
story. – If these chambers be inhabited by Preceptors, the one as a
study, the other as a Bedchamber, the disadvantages of the Aspect must
be overcome by such means, of Curtains & Carpets, as a Student does
not so easily acquire. The South
The Hall is intended
to occupy two stores. Above the hall a room of equal size may be appropriated
to a Library, or may furnish 4 or 6 Students rooms,
The usual mode of
planning colleges, by arranging the rooms on each side of a long passage,
has many disadvantages, – the chief of which are the noise, & the
necessary darkness of the Passage, and the bad aspect of one half of
the rooms. – These inconveniences do not, I be-
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lieve exist in the plan I present to
you, & should at a future period, the celebrity of your institution
encrease the number of your students, as it no doubt will, – it will
be better to erect new accomodations, than to obtain room by connecting
the wings, in order to save expense; as has often been done. –
In respect to material,
– I would, certainly, recommend that you should build
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wide, which are fastened by Wall-hooks,
upright to the Walls, at the distance of 15 inches from each other, &
upon which laths are nailed as upon framed work. No such precaution
is necessary upon the internal walls. The air thus enclosed between
–
I have said this much
in order to give the Trustees an opportunity, – should they adopt the
plan proposed, – of procured their principal materials at once. – But
Should they contemplate to carry it into execution either with or without
alteration, I shall expect that you
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will have the goodness to appraise me
of their resolution in the course of this month, that I may furnish
such working plans as will be immediately necessary.–
I beg leave also to
suggest to you and to the Trustees, – that it will be impossible to
conduct your building with success, oeconomy, & Satisfaction, unless
some intelligent, experienced, & honest Man, – as superintendant
of the Work, have controul over every part of it. – This situation is
often given to some respectable, but superannuated Workman, from motives
of benevolence. Such a Superintendant is indeed adequate to the
counting of bricks, the measurements of Stone and Lime, the keeping an
account, & often to the decision on the quality of the materials &
the goodness of Workmanship. But these things though necessary,
– are not all that are wanted. The great & useful business of
a Superintendant, – or as he is commonly called, a Clerk
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of the Work, consists in so directing
& combining the Labors of a variety of Workmen, that they shall
all produce the building, without Loss of time
or waste of material, or dispute among themselves, or disadvantage in
the performance of their contracts, by want of material, or the necessity
of waiting for each other. Such an office requires vigor of mind
& body, as well as mechanical knowledge & manual skill, and
I beg to repeat what
I before mentioned to you, – that as I conceive it to be the interest &
duty of every good citizen to promote, – quoad virile, the education,
and civilization of the Society in which he &
his children are to live, I will with pleasure contribute to the reestablishment
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of Dickinson college, every possible
gratuitous personal assistance: – and should you accept of this part
of contribution, – nothing will be charged against you, but such actual
expenses as may arise in the course of my giving it to you.
I am with true respect
Yours trulyB Henry Latrobe
Surveyor of
the U. States buildings at Washington
Philadelphia May 18th 1803 I must request that
you will excuse the evident marks of haste in this letter, which would
have been more explanatory, had not the time to which you have limited
me, been so short.
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