NEW HALL 



FOE TIIE 



ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The corner-stone of a new building for the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia was laid, Wednesday, October 30, 1872, 

 at the southeast corner of Race and Nineteenth streets. The dig- 

 ging of the cellar of the north wing was commenced July 9, 1872- 



At half-past eleven o'clock A.M. many of the officers and mem- 

 bers of the society assembled at the hall, northwest corner of 

 Broad and Sansom streets, and walked together to the site of the 

 new building. 



At twelve o'clock, noon, Dr. Ruschenberger, President of the 

 Society and Chairman of the Building Committee, addressed the 

 assembled crowd in substance as follows : 



Ladies and Gentlemen : 



We have assembled to-day to manifest our satisfaction that, 

 through the intelligent liberality of a comparatively few of our 

 fellow citizens, we are enabled to commence the erection, on this 

 spot, of a new building adapted to the purposes of the Academ}' 

 of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The want of a sufficiently 

 capacious edifice has embarrassed, and in some degree retarded, 

 the progress of the institution during manj^ years. The citizens of 

 Philadelphia and of the State of Pennsylvania have a wide-spread 

 interest in the success of this enterprise, although that interest is 

 not universally recognized or admitted. 



The completion of the entire edifice, one wing of which we have 



