Pierre-Charles L’Enfant to William Temple Franklin (unpublished)
new york Jany the 29 1787.
Dear Sir

I have received the letter which you did me the honor to write to me dated philda—Jany—the 15 last it would have given me much Satisfaction had I been able to complay with your request but the plan mentioned was sent to somme of the gentlemen of the society to which it was intended for & never has been since returned to me—what they mean to do with it I do not Known but as to it being put into execution is a matter that appear likly not to take place. You say, sir, that the gentlemen of your City are seriously determined upon erecting building similar to those I had proposed here if this Should be the case and you so partial to me as to believe my Skill might be of service to them I will with pleasur drawn a new plan a mesur which if agreable will after all be the best for the one in question was but an imperfect Sketch which could be of no assistance to any undertaker but under the immediate direction of the orriginal designer considering that it was made without regard to any particular spot of ground neither combined with relation to any given limits nor consideration of the cost.—Monney being the principal which to all motion is most necessary to be considered when projecting any and particularly such building as the one intended consequently the sum which your city propos to laid out in this business I Should be glad to known—also what part of the City has been determined upon and what is the outline dimention of the lot proposed—70 or 80 feet front upon 250 deept was the proportion of the drought Which I Show’d to you—I wished to have it fixd on a lot free from all side at least so as to admit of a street upon each of its three parallels—the out saide of the building I proposed to surround with Small Shops under cover of a gallery the effect of which you are to be better juge than anyone here having seen somthing similar in the piazzas that surround the comedie francaise at paris of that round the palais Roial garden—this I conceived would have been not only grand but yet of a pecuniary advantage it being certain that the rents comming from these Shops would Soon repaid the expences of the whole building or at Least bring a good interest for the money.—No city in america being better calculated to admit a Building of this Kind than that of philadelphie & I dear say none having inhabitants better able to suscribe a sum adequate to the expence I Should Supose it may be easy for yu to influence the mesur and as to assistance on my part should it be wanted it will affor me pleasur— 7000 pounds was the sum to which I had evaluated the cost of the Building which I had intended for the city of new york and as I am told the workmanship is at present greatly cheaper in your State than it was formerly I conceive that little more added to that Sum would be Sufficient to compleat the whole as above mentioned for from the manner I would propose to conduct the work it would prove by much less expensive than the common way of doing which in all case is neither safe nor economical and which in this is not even admissible considering that the whole composition of the forming being necesserily out of the usual way none but the plain work such of the walls and forming of the roofs and floors &a Should be done by undertaking. I have the honor to be dr sir your most humble obedient & Servant

P Ch L’Enfant

Addressed: [torn] [W.T.?] Franklin esqr. / philadelphia
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