was some 30 feet below the floor of the projected Miiseimi 

 basement, and it took over a year to accompUsh the filling. 



Although the technique used was not uncommon, the 

 laying of the foundation was a lengthy part of the construc- 

 tion job. The foundation consistsof clusters of wood pilings 

 which start below the lake level and extend another 65-95 

 feet down. Some of these pilings go to rock, others encoun- 

 tered a hard substance before the rock level. 



These piles support 30 feet tall concrete piers which 

 reach up to the groimd floor. The number of piles in a 

 cluster is not uniform, but varies with the location of the 

 cluster. For examply, there are 22 piles in the cluster that 

 support the piers between the windows in the exterior walls, 

 while the piers supporting the walls adjacent to Stanley 

 Field Hall are atop 12-pile clusters.' 



The next step, the setting of the outside marble, began 

 in May, 1917. The exterior walls are 21 inches thick and 

 the outer six inches of that are white marble, making the 

 marble a structural element as well as a beautiful facing. 

 (This is in marked contrast to the current trend of using a 

 curtain or veneer of marble solely as a decorative element 

 with no structural function.) 



By the end of 1917, the east and west wings of the build- 

 ing were practically complete, as was the basement work 

 of the north and south entrances. Brick and steel work, 

 plumbing, steam fitting, tile and glass work, and roofing all 

 moved according to plan. Levels were taken constantly for 

 any sign of settlement or movement. 



In 1918 the Museum was imsettled by an element that 

 no level could predict. World War I was going badly, 

 American casualties were heavy, and the national govern- 

 ment found itself short of hospitals needed in the event of a 

 protracted war. Therefore, the government contracted to 

 use the new Museum building "for three years as a Govern- 

 ment hospital." This change in plans speeded up construc- 

 tion — until the Armistice was signed. With the war over, 

 the government had no further interest in the Museum 

 building and cancelled the contract. As Director SkiflT so 

 nicely phrased it, all of this had a "confusing and disturbing 

 effect upon the affairs of the Museum." 



Following lengthy negotiations, but "no serious dispute," 

 the Museum accepted an allowance from the government 

 "as full satisfaction of expenses incurred and additional cost 

 imposed during the time the Government controlled build- 

 ing operations." 



All the major contracts were closed and, except for the 

 terrace, the building was complete on or about June 1, 1920, 

 approximately five years from the date when construction 

 began. 



' The data regarding the foundation and the thickness of the 

 walls was provided by Harry M. Weese & Associates, Architects. 



Progress. Top, October 15, 1915: while pile drivers sink the pilings 

 which support the building, fill is brought to the site on special railway 

 spurs. Center, July 6, 1915: mortar men and brick layers working 

 on the ground floor level. The open area now houses the Division of 

 Reptiles and Amphibians and the Division of Fishes. Bottom, 

 August 2!f, 1919: work has progressed to the second floor, and struc- 

 tural steel roofing for the internal bay areas has been put in place. 

 View is toward the Southeast. 



