The site was originally developed by Samuel Blodget, Jr. (son of Samuel Blodgett), who enlisted James Hoban to design a hotel, which was the largest privately-owned structure in Washington when completed in the early 1800s. The federal government purchased Blodget's hotel in 1810, to house the US Post Office Department and US Patent Office. During the Burning of Washington in the War of 1812, William Thornton, Superintendent of the Patent Office, convinced British troops to spare the building. Because the United States Capitol had been burned down, the US Congress temporarily met in the building. In 1836, a fireplace accident set the building on fire, destroying thousands of patent models and records.