George Hadfield
George Hadfield (1763 – 6 February 1826) was born in Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, 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 the brother of painter, musician, and educator Maria Cosway.
George Hadfield
- Born
- 1763 · Florence.
- Died
- 1826 · Washington and D.C.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- architect
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
George Hadfield (1763 – 6 February 1826) was born in Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, 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 the brother of painter, musician, and educator Maria Cosway.
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Note VALÉORINE
George Hadfield (1763–1826) was a British architect. The architect was born in Florence.
Languages used include English. Works by George Hadfield are held at Art Institute of Chicago.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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In this article
Life and career
Life and career
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
List of works
• Original Treasury Department building, drew plans in 1798, completed in 1800; partially destroyed by fire in 1801 and burned by British forces in 1814 • Navy Department, 1800 • Washington Jail, 1801, later converted to a hospital, burned in 1861 • Marine Corps Commandant's House, 1801–1805 • Arlington House (Custis-Lee Mansion), 1818 • District of Columbia City Hall, 1820 • Van Ness Mausoleum
Possible works
Possible works
• Historic Huntley
Other
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
Gallery
• Illustration — District of Columbia City Hall • Illustration — Van Ness Mausoleum • Illustration — Front view of Arlington House • Illustration — Commandant of the Marine Corps' house at 8th & I SE • Illustration — Original U.S. Treasury building.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Florence.
Birth place
Washington and D.C.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Interments in the Congressional Cemetery. 17 July 2001.
- 2.Scott, Pamela. 'Temple of Liberty' Building a Capitol for a New Nation. The Library of Congress. 20 March 1995.
- 3.Tatman.
- 4.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.
- 5.Dunlap, page 336.
- 6.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.
- 7.The Library of Congress. The Temple of Justice and Faith: The Capitol's East and West Porticoes and Dome.
- 8.United States Department of the Treasury. Fact Sheets: U. S. Treasury Building. 17 October 2007.
- 9.William W. Warner, At Peace with All Their Neighbors: Catholics and Catholicism in the Nation's Capital, 1787-1860 (Georgetown University Press), pp. 126-27.
- 10.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.
- 11.Cultural Tourism, DC. Washington Jail Site, Location: Fourth and G streets, NW.
- 12.Bednar, Michael J. L'Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington, D.C. The Johns Hopkins University Press. 122. 2006. 0-8018-8318-0.
- 13.Cultural Tourism, DC. Marine Corps Commandant's House.
- 14.The National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center. 2006.
- 15.U. S. National Park Service. Arlington House Architecture & Construction. 24 March 2002.
- 16.National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Arlington House. 15 October 1966.
- 17.Moeller, page 337.
- 18.Gutheim, page 45.
- 19.District of Columbia Courts. History of Judiciary Square.
- 20.United States District Court for the District of Columbia. History of the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse.
- 21.Ridgely, Helen West. Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The Grafton press. 248. 1908.
- 22.See historical marker.
- 23.Moeller, pages 176–177.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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