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St. Louis May 3d 1861

Mr. J. [John] Boyle

Dear Sir

I send by express today the principal drawings of a design proposed for the "Sayers [Sayre] Library Building".

The building is 40 feet in diameter - 1st story 13 feet in the clear, 2d story 26 feet in the clear. The angles of the octagon are to be rustic stone quoins, stone frontispiece for front door, stone string course and stone jambs 9 inches wide around all the windows - and cut stone base [unclear word: on?] water table - the balance of the exterior, except (cornice, roof, etc.) is brick. The cornice is wood, and also the top part or lantern. All the exterior wood work is to be painted and sanded. The roofs to be of tin. From the section you will see how the interior is intended to be finished, circular staircase in the center with black walnut rail & balusters. The cases for the books are 12 feet long by 11 feet high, to be grained in imitation of oak, and will contain 20,000 volumes. The balance of the interior you can see from the plans how it is finished.

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The plan I think is an excellent one for a library and will look well from any point of sight.

Mr. Gray you will see below, has made a proposition to build the building complete for the sum of five thousand, five hundred dollars ($5500). Should you wish to bring the cost of the building to $5000 it can be done by leaving off the stone quoins on angles, from the string course to cornice, and the stone work of front door, and the stone jambs of windows. The jambs would be made of brick should the stone be left off, and the front door arch and jamb would be of brick. Stone quoins would be carried up to the string course on the angles, and the stone string course would be put in as per drawing. Everything else would be the same as per description and plans.

The drawings are included in the above estimate with specification details etc. etc.

Very respectfully
yours be
C. [Charles] C. Miller

Proposition over

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I propose to build the above specified library building according to plans and specifications, and to the entire satisfaction of the architect and building committee for the sum of five thousand and five hundred dollars ($5500).

By leaving off the aforesaid stone as mentioned by Mr. Miller I will make a deduction of $500 dollars, making the proposition $5000 dollars.

Should the frontispiece of front door and window jambs be required of stone, my proposition will be $5250.

Wm. [William] E. Gray

P.S. What stone work that may be left off the details of the same in brick will be painted stone color.

Yours
C.C.M. [C.C. Miller]

The two drawings for some church furniture, please hand to Mr. John Cowan (the brown paper & one white sheet with bishops chair etc.)