File:Robert L. Stuart.jpg

Robert L. Stuart, painted by Daniel Huntington

Identifier: cu31924104089432 Title: The American Museum of Natural History : its origin, its history, the growth of its departments to December 31, 1909 Year: 1911 (1910s) Authors: Osborn, Henry Fairfield, 1857-1935 Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. fmo Huntington Free Library. fmo Subjects: American Museum of Natural History Natural history museums Publisher: New York : Irving Press Contributing Library: Cornell University Library Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image: r skillful as a critic. Afew changes in the personnel of the Board occurred in 1872: fiveof the Founders, Messrs. Blatchford, Grinnell, Dodge, Dana, andParish, retired, and to their places succeeded five Trustees who becamestrong supporters of the Museum, namely, Messrs. Percy R. Pyne,John B. Trevor, James M. Constable, WiUiam E. Dodge, 2d, and JosephW. Drexel, Site. The plans of the new building, the purchase of new collections, and the financial interests of the Museum principally engaged the at-tention of the Trustees. Manhattan Square on the west side of thePark, comprising eighteen acres of very rough land, quite inaccessiblefrom the lower part of the City, was assigned. It had been proposedto make a Zoological Garden of this square, and extravagant planshad been prepared. These plans, however, were pronounced immatureby the Park Department, and when the Museum proposition arose,somewhat against the deliberate judgment of the Trustees, ManhattanSquare was chosen as its site. [22]

Text Appearing After Image: ROBERT L. STUART SECOND PRESIDENT 1872-1881 FroTn Museum Portrait by Daniel Huntington ROBERT L. STUART Calvert Vaux was selected as the architect. The grand design Originaloffered by Mr. Vaux was accepted. It contemplated for the entire °^^^edifice a hollow square whose sides were to be formed of four greatbuildings 700 feet long, ornate in material and detail, and distinguishedby large entrances of architectural dignity and strength. The wholestructure was intended to cover fifteen acres and fill a space threetimes larger than the basement area of the British Museum. A build-ing of this great size would embrace the most diverse and appositekingdoms of nature. The exact sciences might even find here a home;and the technical applications in the arts, room for the exhibition oftheir numberless adaptations. On June 2, 1874, the corner stone of the first section of the Museum Dedication,was laid with great ceremony. The President of the United States,the Governor of the State, and the Ma

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