290 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1903. 



a full di.sciif^sion, })iiss('d the follow'mj;- I'osolution, which was subse- 

 (|uently transmitted to Congress: 



That under the Hinitations of the law the eoniinittee hereby report to Congress 

 Plan B for a new National Mnsenni l)uilding as the best ol)tainal)le for the amonnt 

 mentioned; but in the judgment of the connnittee the larger plan, A, is V^elieved 

 to be the one wliich should ])e adopted, and we therefore ask that Congress shall 

 make the appropriation for it instead of for tlie smaller plan. 



On January !23, 1903, the plans and report wore transmitted to Con- 

 gress and printed as Document No. 314, House of Representatives, 

 Fifty-seventh Congress, second session. The arguments presented in 

 the report have practically all been set forth in previous pages of this 

 paper, and therefore only such extracts need be quoted here as relate 

 to the plans and to the questions directly concerning their preparation. 

 Of the plans themselves only two are given, one, marked "A,'' show- 

 ing the outlines of the entire building as then designed, the other, 

 marked " B," showing the half of the building, which it was estimated 

 could be erected for the sum of f>l, 500,000, the limit of cost first 

 established. Following tire the extracts from the report prepared by 

 the assistant secretary in charge of the Museum: 



The plan contemplates a rectangular building al)out 486 feet front l)y about o-15 

 feet deep and about 80 feet high including the basement. The building is designed 

 for four floors, and will afford about 400,000 square feet of floor space, the first and 

 second floors to be used for exhibition, the basement and upper floor for storage, 

 workrooms, and other purposes necessary to the conduct of a museum. It could be 

 erected in substantial form as a fireproof building for a sum not exceeding 13,000,000. 



The plan has been designed in such a manner that approximately one-half of the 

 building could be constructed at once, presenting the appearance of a completed 

 building and suitable for the Museum needs. This half would consist of the main 

 or south wing and the middle wing, and is exhibited in a separate drawing. Whilst 

 it would in no way provide for the growth of the Museum, it would relieve the 

 present congested condition of the exhibition halls, render possible a proper classifi- 

 cation of the reserve collections, and remove the necessity of employing any rented 

 buildings. 



The plan of the liuilding lias been drawn after a study of all important existing 

 museums, both in this country and abroad, and eiid)odies their useful features and 

 avoids defects which have been revealed in the course of time. It is expected that, 

 should this building ])e authorized, it would be superior for museum purposes to any 

 building in this country or al)road, and it is respectfully recommended that the sum 

 of $1,500,000 be appropriated for the construction of substantially so much of the 



building as is exhibited in Plan B. 



* * * * * * * 



The National jNIuseum occupies the ])uilding erected for its use in 1881, the greater 

 part of the Smithsonian building, parts of three detached l)uildingson the Mall, and 

 several renteil buildings south of B sti'eet SW. The area represented, together with 

 the general use to which the several floors of the larger l)uildings and each of the 

 smaller l)uil(lings are devoted, is shown in the following table: 



Smithsonian building: ■ Square feet. 



Basement ( maiidy storage and heating plant) 11, 778 



Ground floor (mainly exhibition halls) 17, 372 



Second floor (mainly workrooms) 6, 587 



