MAINTENANCE, CONSTRUCTION, AND ENGINEERING 



The work of installation and reinstallation in various exhibition 

 halls throughout the Museum necessarily took a great amount of 

 the time and effort of the maintenance and engineering personnel. 

 The special exhibit "Indian Art of the Americas" (see page 25) 

 required the erection of special hallcases, bases, and canopies in 

 Stanley Field ^lall. Special bases were prepared for installation of 

 the fossil stump in Hall 26 (Botany, see page 57) and for reinstalla- 

 tion of certain fossil specimens in Hall 38 (Geology, see page 65), 

 which required glass panels. 



A major rearrangement in the Department of Geology required 

 the installation of 87 new steel storage-cases to house fossil material 

 in the research collections. In addition, 2,000 trays for storage- 

 cases were made in the Museum's shops, and 15 five-drawer map 

 units were installed. The picnic room was remodeled to provide 

 better ventilation and to increase the general attractiveness of the 

 entire area (see page 98). Many other improvements that increase 

 efficiency in laboratories and workrooms were completed through- 

 out the Museum. In addition, the usual efficiency of painters, 

 janitors, and others involved in the service of cleaning and refur- 

 bishing the Museum has kept the building at the high standard of 

 cleanliness that so often evokes comment from our visitors. 



Exterior maintenance of the building included tuckpointing the 

 north and south steps as well as the areaways both at ground- 

 floor and third-floor levels. The blacktop areas of the terraces 

 north and south of the building were recoated, and work was done 

 near the west door to counteract the effect of settling. The con- 

 tinuous inspection of the building and the planning and supervision 

 of its maintenance and care by James R. Shouba, Superintendent, 

 insure maximum safety and cleanliness throughout. 



The floodlighting of the building (see page 21) was a culmination 

 of long and careful planning by William E. Lake, Chief Engineer of 

 the Museum. Plans included running new power lines from the 

 transformers to a main control-panel located in the switchboard 

 room from where current was distributed to six small panels placed 

 at various points on the ground floor, and from these panels cir- 

 cuits were run to the various outlets outside the building. To pre- 

 vent corrosion and also to prevent staining the marble walls, alum- 

 inum conduit was used throughout. To complete this project 330 

 floodlight fixtures and several miles of wire were required. After 

 careful testing, the floodlighting was formally displayed to the public 

 on the evening of June 16. 



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