APPENDIX B
This letter is reproduced exactly as written, mistakes and all.

Letter from Theodate to William Rutherford Mead, dated September 17, 1898

 

September 17, 1898 Farmington, Conn.

Dear Mr. Mead:

I did not answer your letter of some three months ago for several reasons, and one was that we found the charge of our house, if given to your firm to build, was to be in the hands of a very young man, and now in taking the matter up again I wish to be a little more explicit than I was in the first instance.

I am writing for and in the interests of my father. We have now decided instead of having you submit sketches to us, to send you the plans that I have been working over at intervals for some years to draw to your scale and make an elevation of in the event of our coming to a mutual agreement. Consequently, as it is my plan, I expect to decide in all the details as well as all more important questions of plan that may arise. This must be clearly understood at the outset, so as to save unnecessary friction in the future. In other words, it will be a Pope house instead of a McKim, Mead and White.

Now naturally, you could not without seeing the plans agree to this, as it seems a real risk of the very deserved reputation your Firm holds. I will mail my plans to you to-day for you to see, and if you wish to consider undertaking the work father wants me to ask you to make a trip here yourself and see the place and talk with the landscape architect as to the exact location of the house. After that, the work could be turned over to someone in your office who has more experience and is very solid on construction.

Mr. Whittemore speaks well of Mr. McGonegal [H. Van Buren Magonigle], but I would greatly prefer that you should not speak to Mr. McGonegal in reference to the work at present, as I want to satisfy myself as to how much ability he has.

You will confer a favor by not letting Mr. Gade whom you first spoke to of father's objections to his being entrusted with the work.

If, after submitting my plans to you, you decide to undertake the work abiding by my conditions, please write me very explicitly just how you charge.

In conclusion, I will say that I am not nearly as difficult to deal with as this would seem, for I am very tolerant of advice and always open to suggestions and good reasoning. Hoping to hear favorably from you when we can arrange a date for your coming up, I am

Sincerely,

Theodate Pope

New York, Columbia University, Avery Library, Walker Cain Collection, 1986 gift