232 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1903. 



The foundutioiifs ure very substantial and the walls of the building 

 very thick, as would be necessary in a structure of this kind. The 

 roofs, except on the connecting ranges, are slated. 



Interior. — As tirst planned, the Museum was to occupy only the large 

 upper main hall in the Smithsonian building, the room now and for 

 many 3'ears past used for the exhibition collections of prehistoric 

 archaeology. The corresponding hall on the main floor was to be 

 divided equall}^ between the library and a large lecture room, while 

 the west hall and connecting range were specially constructed for the 

 galler}' of art. The east hall and range, one stor^^ in height, contained 

 the smaller lecture room, laboratories, and rooms for apparatus. 



During the progress of the work of building and fitting up, how- 

 ever, all of these proposed arrangements were changed, either perma- 

 nently or temporarily, the assignments of space at the time of the fire 

 of 1865 having been as follows: The east wing was separated into two 

 stories, the upper of which was divided into a suite of rooms for the 

 accommodation of the Secretary and his family. The lower story con- 

 sisted principally of a single large room, appropriated to the storage 

 of publications and their reception and distribution in connection with 

 the system of exchanges. The upper story of the eastern connecting 

 range contained a number of small apartments devoted to the opera- 

 tions in natural history, and the lower story was fitted up as a work- 

 ing laborator3\ 



The upper story of the main building was divided into a lecture 

 room, capable of holding 2,000 persons, and two additional I'ooms, 

 at the ends, 50 feet square, one of which contained a museum of appa- 

 ratus and the other a gallery of art. Both were occasionally^ used as 

 minor lecture rooms and for the meetings of scientific, educational, 

 and industrial associations. In 1868, after the rebuilding made neces- 

 sar}^ by the fire, this entire story was assigned to the Museum by a 

 resolution of the Board of Regents. The lower storj^ of the main 

 building, consisting of one large hall, was unoccupied at first, but as 

 the means for furnishing were provided it was utilized for the exhi- 

 bition of natural history and other collections, the specimens from the 

 Patent Office having been mainly transferred to these quarters in 1858. 



The west wing was occupied by the library until its transfer to the 

 Library of Congress in 1866, while the west range was used as a read- 

 ing room. The tower rooms were utilized for various purposes, one 

 large room in the south tower being assigned to the meetings of the 

 Establishment and the Board of Regents, and three rooms in the north 

 tower to the offices of the Secretary. 



Since the fire of 1865 there have been even greater changes, as 

 detailed in the foregoing historical account. By 1871 the adminis- 

 trative offices had become practically segregated in the east wing and 

 range, commonly designated together as the "east end," which was 



