Documenting the American South Logo
Legend Informational Note
See the Page Image
     Mouseover Available
Title: Letter from Alexander J. Davis to David L. Swain, March 24, 1845: Electronic Edition.
Author: Davis, Alexander Jackson, 1803-1892
Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Bari Helms
Images scanned by Bari Helms
Text encoded by Sarah Ficke
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 10K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-07-22, Sarah Ficke finished TEI/XML encoding.
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Papers (#40005), University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from Alexander J. Davis to David L. Swain, March 24, 1845
Author: A. J. Davis
Description: 3 pages, 3 page images
Note: Call number 40005 (University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Editorial practices
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Originals are in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
DocSouth staff created a 600 dpi uncompressed TIFF file for each image. The TIFF images were then saved as JPEG images at 100 dpi for web access.
Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the text.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see the section Editorial Practices.
Letter from Alexander J. Davis to David L. Swain , March 24, 1845
Davis, Alexander Jackson, 1803-1892



Page 1
N. York March 24 '45

Dear Sir:

I received yours by Mr. Carr, and am glad to hear that your work is at length in progress. With respect to a change in the north front, I do not think it can be done without injury to the purposes of the building, since very large apertures are required for light and look out over the door. By reducing the height of the lower story, we bring the sills of the windows of 2nd story in "Oderon" high above the floor, so that there will be an indifferent look out at them, but by panneling the whole space between the pilasters of N. front we may pierce any of the panels for light. Besides we would give a common place character by inserting ordinary factory-like

Page 2
windows, wholly at variance with the other features of this front, which I wish to preserve in a grave, or august character, even at the hazard of a contrast with the sides of the building. The trees will shut out the two contrasting faces, in a great degree. And if they should not, it will be better (in my mind) that the building have one redeeming characteristic feature — one good eye tho' that be Cyclopean in its character. Let us look sometimes with the heart as well as the head, and more eagerly for beauties than for defects.
The bell may be placed upon any of the buildings with or without a cover to it, and be made as little conspicuous as possible, until a more suitable place be erected for it, in a tower.

Page 3
The whole space between the two pilasters is to be filled with plain sunk panel, like the door, and be in the same plane (flush) with the opening part; the glazed part without sill or lintel, other than those pannels above and below, which come against the beams; and the whole is to look like the door. Those pannels that are glazed, above, for light in Oderon and L[ibr]ary, may open or not, perhaps they had better be secured against the weather, and be fixtures, not to open, since the side windows will air and ventilate the rooms sufficiently. The pilasters may be linked together behind the panel work by brick in front of the beams, so as to tie the parts, if the builder thinks best, but no part of the surface, from top to bottom, is to project over, but be in one uniform plane, in front, surrounded by a bold architrave, as per plan, rising to the top of the pilasters.

Respectfully yours,

A. J. Davis

(Gov. Swain)


Back page