AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF JAMES HOBAN, ARCHITECT AND BUILDER OF THE WHITE HOUSE AND PROMINENT CITIZEN AND PUBLIC OFFICE-HOLDER IN WASHINGTON CITY,

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FOR FORTY YEARS

 

Part III

 

When the City of Washington was incorporated in 1802, Mr. Hoban was elected a member of the City Council. He continued there until his death.

    On January 18, 1796, Hoban purchased 5,568 square feet of land. His fellow Catholic James R. Dermott, by whose plan the City has been built—purchased 5,265 square feet. On February 21, 1797, Hoban was granted certificates for Lots 8, 9 and 26 in Square 729.

    On May 1st, a sale of lots by order of the Commissioners was made. Lots 3 and 4 in Square 33; 17 in 127; 12 and 13 in 200; 14 in 989, were bought in by Mr. Hoban who, on September 22, made declaration that he purchased at the desire of the Commissioners in trust for the use of the public. He obligated himself to convey to others as the Commissioners would direct. On August 28th, he purchased lots 1 and 3 in Square 10 for $501. On june 18, 1798, he got deed for lots 4 and 5 in Square 225. On February 16, 1802, he got deed for Lot 1 in Square 1078.

    Mr. Hoban was a member of St. Patrick’s church and doubtless had much to do with the foundation of that first Church in the Capital City of the Nation,assisting Father Caffray in purchasing Lot 5, 6, 7 of Square 376, which were purchased on April 20 (5-6) and June 22 (7).

    Mr. Hoban was interred in the old graveyard of the church; but in May, 1863, his remains, with those of the family, were removed to the new Catholic Cemetery, Mount Olivet, on the Bladensburg Road.

His estate was valued at $60,000. Some of the land yet remains in possession of his grandchildren.

    Benjamin’s History of Federal Lodge says of him: “During his residence of nearly forty years at Washington, Captain Hoban grew rich, influential and prominent. His impulsive demeanor never hid the real manliness and gentleness of his , nature and he lived and died in general esteem.

    “Captain Hoban was a quick tempered though generous man, and his professional life at the Capitol was stormy despite his success. He took a large view of his own authority, had a high regard for his own opinion, and despite official poverty and parsimony, obtained emoluments fitted to his standing as an architect and the dignity of the work entrusted to his supervision. His designs and proportions for the Executive Mansion were deemed too princely for a young republic by President Washington, but in the end the architect prevailed over the statesman.”

   Mr. Hoban was Captain of the Washington Artillery. The last birthday of General Washington which he lived to celebrate was that of February 22, 1799. For the commemorative parade of, the day, Captain Hoban issued this order:

 

From The Sentinel of Liberty and Georgetown and Washington Advertiser, of Tuesday, February 19, I799:

 

ARTILLERY.

 

The 22d instant being the anniversary of Lieutenant-General Washington, the members composing the Washington Artillery are requested to meet in Uniform at 10 o’clock in the morning, at the parade ground, to commemorate the day, with field pieces, small arms and accoutrements in soldier-like order.

 

JAMES HOBAN, Capt. Washington, February 18, 1799.

 

Mr. Hoban had his troubles in the execution of his work, as may be seen from the annexed letter from the records of the Commissioners. It is written to James Hoban and signed by Mr. Scott and Mr. Thornton, and is as follows:

 

Washington, 11th April, 1799.

 

Sir: We have had the Depositions taken on the Information against you under consideration, and though we think they contain pointed evidence of very negligent conduct in the foreman, and, indeed also in the superintendent, we do not think they merit our further examination of evidence, unless requested by you. If you think your conduct unjustly implicated by any evidence given, we shall hold ourselves bound to hear any Witness you may think proper to examine before us at the office, or to read, consider and file in the office any Deposition you may take elsewhere, relative to the subject, leaving entirely to your own discretion the manner of taking your testimony. If the fact be true that fourteen carpenters, for a period of seven weeks or more, did not do one-third of the work justly to be expected from them, that thirteen sawyers for a whole year played the same game, and sashes for temporary purposes have been made under your management which cost the United States little less than 50 cents per light; these were objects of magnitude suflicient to have attracted the attention of the Superintendent, and ought to have been noticed and redressed by him, and, we are inclined to believe the world will say, by the Commissioners also.

    We shall forbear to pass any opinion on several subjects in which your conduct appears to be implicated, until a further investigation of the necessary facts can be had. We shall, however, mention it to you that you may be prepared to meet the enquiry if, after hearing your explanations, one should be judged necessary. So far as we have been able to examine into the accounts filed in the office, there appears to be a great deficiency in the lumber furnished for the President’s House and temporary buildings on that Square. The accounts also of brick and nails appear to us enormous and need ex— planation. You shall be furnished with the accts. in a very short time, and we shall with pleasure hear from you a satisfactory detail of the just disposition of these several articles. Before the Board would proceed to the final adjustment of the Slater’s account for slating the President’s House, an order was made that you should report on the sufficiency of the work. The verbal Report made by you to the Board, after considerable delay, was strongly in favor of the work, and the Board in consequence proceeded to adjust and pay off all to within less than fifty dollars of the acct. Your written Report, since handed in, is contradictory to your verbal Report, and not only does not decide on the sufficiency of the work, but holds out the idea that this cannot be done until the plumber has completed his work. Your signature appears to the plumber’s account for working up 43,927 lbs. of lead on the President’s House, though much of this leading yet remains unfinished, and while we have every reason to believe no examination has been made by measurement or otherwise to ascertain the fact that the quantity of lead charged has been actually worked up. That you delayed for a very considerable length of time to comply with the orders of the Board to furnish Joseph Middleton with the necessary materials for making a certain number of window ‘shutters for the Capitol, and when at last, the order was complied with, you, in your letter to the Board of the 12th day of March last, made use of very indecent and even insolent language, and such as they are by no means disposed to suffer from you or any other person.

    Such being the impression made on our minds, we take an early opportunity of informing you of it. It will give us much pleasure to find you able to clear up every doubt, and to prove that your conduct has been as economical and careful as we believe it to have been honest and skilful, so far as relates to yourself. You will be furnished with the accounts mentioned, as soon as the Clerks can make them out, and in the meantime we shall be ready to hear any witness you may think fit to examine at the office, or to read and file any Deposition taken elsewhere relating to the Charges against you, reserving to ourselves the Right of re-examining, if judged necessary, any witness not examined in our presence.

 

We are, Sir, Yr. Obt. Servts,
               

GUST’S SCOTT,
WILLLIAM THORNTON. 

 

Mr. James Hoban.

 

Mr. Hoban made such a reply that on May 3d, the Board ordered that Joseph Middleton will be heard in his defense next Tuesday, and Mr, Hoban notified of the hearing.

    Perhaps Mr. Hoban “cleared up every doubt” of the Commissioners and satisfied them that he had been as economical and careful as they declared he was honest and skilful, for he continued in their employ three or more years afterwards.

    George Alfred Townsend’s Washington Outside and Inside states that James Hoban built the first post office in Washington. This is an error, unless meaning the Government’s Executive Building, which, in 1802, was ready for the several Departments of State, War and Navy. In that building the Postmaster had a room. Prior to that the residence of the Postmaster was the postoffice of the city. The first postoffice in Washington, established in 179 5, occupied part of the residence of the Postmaster, Thomas Johnson, Jr., a small building on F Street between 13th and 14th Streets, northwest, which is no longer standing. The second postoffice stood on the Southwest corner of F and 13th Streets, being the residence of Christopher Richmond, the successor of Thomas Johnson, Jr. This building is no longer in existence. Under the third postmaster, Lund Washington, the post office was on Capitol Hill near First and A Streets, N. E., the building having long since been demolished. When Mr. Washington went out, the post office was removed to the house occupied by the first postmaster. Then it was removed to a private building on the corner of Ninth and E Streets —no longer standing—which was the building used by the post office department in 1800, when the seat of government was transferred from Philadelphia to this place. After this, in 1801, the office was moved to a house, which is yet standing, in the rear of a lot fronting on F between 14th and 15th Streets. Not one of these buildings is known to have been erected by James Hoban, nor, so far as I know, has ever been associated with his name. They were all unpretentious structures, such as were in those days built by mechanics without the aid of architects. 

    About the beginning of 1802, however, the post office was moved to a room in what was known as the Southwest Executive Building, belonging to the Government, and designed for the use of the State, War, and Navy Departments. It was destroyed by the British troops in 1814. [John A. Merritt, Postmaster; B. Madison Davis, Asst. P. M.]

 

From the National Intelligencer of December 9, 1831, is taken the following notice:

 

DEATH.

 

Died in this City on the 8th inst., Capt. James Hoban, aged about 73 years. Capt. Hoban was by profession an Architect and irnigrated to this country from Ireland at the close of the American Revolution. He first settled in Charleston, South Carolina, from whence he was invited to the City of Washington to superintend the erection of the public buildings. He designed and obtained the premium for the President’s House, and both built and rebuilt it. He also superintended the architecture of the Capitol for a considerable time.

   In private life Capt. Hoban possessed in a very high degree the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. He was hospitable, generous and charitable. In his regard for the just claims and feelings of others, he was scrupulously nice and particular. Such men are blessings to society while they live and even after death instruct by example.

    His funeral will take place at 10 o’clock this morning, to which his friends are respectfully invited.

 

A FRIEND.

 

The same obituary appeared in the United States Telegraph of December 10th. Mr. Hoban’s residence at the time of his death was on “ F ” Street near Fifteenth. The building remained until a few years ago. 

He was interred in St. Patrick’s Cemetery. In May, 1863, his grandson and namesake, James Hoban, Esq., purchased a lot in Mount Olivet Cemetery, near Washington, and the remains of James Hoban and others of the family were removed thereto.

 

 

I am indebted for information to James Hoban, Esq., grandson of the architect ; to Hugh Taggart, Esq., to Col. Brownwell, U. S. A., and his assistant, all of Washington city and to A. S. Salley, Jr.,  Secretary of the South _Carolina Historical Society and secretary of the Historical Commission of South Carolina.