The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-08-18

rs~ n,d mansion wntcs stands 90 the ict8
A ,Irr northeast cornerof che Capisoi sgasts
has Necn The residences Of ibe 1ovcrnoss ~
vexinIs Tor nearly three quarters o. oen-
| sstgT. Previous 70 fts erection me vovern.
a.. oecupied a house locstsd eiteef upon
ne ssma site &C In IT. neighbofneo1, on
rrhaf a now Rnxs street, or on the MI su'-
cher on. above the Exchsnge Hobes. fns
! honse. Mr.. Mersiecai says In his kicnmoDa
n Rv.(3oue Pays" was very Tsxsn Wooe'
| an huIld,nr ut two stories, win Only TWO
{, ,sa ,,era,e.s,red rooms 90 the ffa hoor. "
! was sor sasny wears unconscious OF paint
snd the rniings around the ysr@ we're usssf
~ in ss .tiiIspidaled condition tnss 'ns
coats tsx,t sported on the steep hilisiues ..
The ,,s,etoI Square claimed snd exercised
the liberty Of grazing on his ExceIienc, .
grouuks.U The precise locality OF tnnbuiid-
Inc have not been able to ascertain. ana the
/ records furnish no clue TO It's exsct sue.
| n is perhsps the fact that the o'e pouse
stood where the present one now aaoos,
AZ sly friend. Colonel McSae, TIE STATE VI,
brarian, supp3ses, whose opinion Is ennsIea
10 much weight. At any rate, u eitnel VS.
| located there, or not very Tar on, Tor " sp-
nears that on the 18th Of February, 1911,
the General Assembly q Virginia passed
.ean act appointing Matthew Cbeathsm,
Nathaniel Selden, David Bullock, William
McKim. Abraham Il. Vensble, william
Wirf. and Robert Greenhow. commission.
ers. and authorizing them. ora majority Oh
them. to contract for the building OF
house on the lot on which the (then) presen!
Qoyerpor,s house stsBdsV The sum oil
sis, 900 was appropriated for the purpose,
and the commissioners were directed dol 10
exceed that sum. They were also empoW-
cred 10 sell at public auction for casn or
on A short credit lot belonging 10 tue
State wing between WrightSoutsgate'sh no
Edmund Rapdolph's lois, and also 10 sell the
materials Of which the then existing GOV
ernor's house was composed and pay the
money arising from The sales into the state
Treasury. The lot directed to be sold 10 t0e
vacant lot on which the late City hall was
looated. living between Ford's Hotel Tor
merly Soutbgate's lot) and the Rev. Dr.
TupDer's house, formerly built and owned
by Edmund Randolph, EsqS The commits
sioDers were also directed, In order TO fur-
nisb the Governor with a residence during
the building Of his official residence, to rent
for him a convenient house for one year In
some suitable location In the city. They
rented the house now standing on the cor.
ner of Marshall and Ninth streets. ana
owned by John S. Wi4e, ESQ, which was
built and owned by the great CHER Jusuoe'
and is Just opposite to bis family mansion,
in which he lived until bis deatb, on t1e ON
Of July, 1885. In this house the Hon. James
| Barbour, then Governor OF virginia, TO
sided, as l am informed by bis son, hon.
| r. johnson Barbour, until the present
| Goverpof's house was finished. The Rev.
John s. Watt, in q communication In the Dts.
patch of May 8, 1878, furnishes additional
evidence that this IS the house which was
rented for the Governor. he says that
" when the Petersburg volunteers LEFT Rich
mond for the seat OF war in 1872 they
marched through the streets with drums
beating and coors flying, escorted by the
Richmond Blues as far as Bscon's Quarter
branch. They stopped before the house on
Marshall street In which the Governor
flames Barbour, ESQ., was then living.
| The house had small front-yard with q
gate to Ii. When the company halted the
officers advanced to the gate. The Governor
met them with great dignity and condo
scensiOn in bis manner, delivered pstri'
Otto and eloquent address, and then babe
them farewell, with many-gOod wishes Tor
their welfare and safe return to their homes
after the war was over. The officers pre-
sented their thanks, the men rent the air
with their shouts, and then marched away
| for the cold and inhospitable climate OF
Canada. i was a small boy at the time, bus
followed the Petersburg volunteers
| through the streets to the Governors
house; and remember all that took place
lust as we'll as II 1t had occurred yester-
| day-remember the grand aud imposing
appearance OF the Governor In bis splendn
uniform, and the manly hearing OF Captain
4 McRae and bis brother ofticers." The CON-
missioners selected Mr.. B. Ii. Latrobe
OF Baltimore, as the architect (who was the
architect OF The penitentiary. and also
afterwards the architect OF that besutifu
building the late City.Hall, which thiDk 10
was mistake to have pulled down, for IT
seems that our City Fathers are determined
that the affairs OF this great municipality
shalt forever hereafter be conducted in
barry building, unworthy OF one-horse
town in q sparsey inhabited county. Mr..
Latrobe furnished the plans for the build
| ing and the commissioners pushed II on TO
completion as fast - they could. On the
18th Of February, 1918, they reported 10 the
Legislature that "after mature deliberaiion
they determined that, consulting 40
| well the honor and dignity OF the
State as the conyeniency OF the Chief
1 MbBlslhttt WIZ ui6u't WuOn OOmP'NeNN,
occupy the same, they would cause the
principal story OF said building TO DO
! finished of 10 a style rather superior TO that
originally contemplated, and to erect two
plain porches on the north and south fronts
OF said building. This, their determine
lion, OF course producing deviation from
the plan originally entered into with the
undertaken, Christopher Tompklos, as well
also In order that Just and true estimate
might be rendered of such work, materisls
furnished, &C., by him, they mutually
agreed with him that all the extra work aud
materials performed and furnished by him
variant from the contract originally entered
into should be Ia value fixed, determined,
and ascertained by two disinterested and
competent characters McKim
on the part OF the Commonwealth and
Wilson Bryan on the part OF Tompkins.
By their report II appears that the
Actual cost OF the dwelling. house for
| The use OF the Chief Magisiratei is sxss
At va Do %
Observation-Disclosures. 474 AZ
Whole sums by two acts of General As
sembly appropriated being. ......,.... $4,000 90
And the actual cost OF all and every Of the
outhouses on the said site erected, together
with the plank enclosure, digging aud re-
moving a vast body OF earth, as well TO bring
it TO more even surface as to increase tn
level extent by filing up the ravine, the
said referees fixed all. eS.e66 70
| Less than the sum for this purpose graut-
/ ...'''''''s''''.''''''''''' LUIS u
BY act OF Assembly appropristed..".." $4,000 0o