NATIONAL MUSEUM BUILDINGS. 291 



Square feet. 



Third floor (mainly exhihitioii) 10, 889 



Upper part of north tower ( workrooms and storapre) 2, 617 



East end ( ofhces, shipping rooms, etc. ) 2, 755 



51,998 



Museum building: 



Ground floor (exhibition) 74, 209 



(Tallery floor (mainly exhibition) 28, 986 



Central towers and pavilions (mainly workrooms, storage, offices, 



library, etc. ) 40, 293 



143,488 



Outside buildings: 



Smithsonian stalile (taxidermist's workroom) 615 



Frame building on Smithsonian reservation (taxidermist's and 



1 mechanical workshop ) 1, 400 



Frame building on Armory Square (storage of specimens) 7, 073 



Buildings at No. 431 Ninth street SW. (rented — storage of speci- 

 mens and property) 21 , 129 



Building No. 309 to 313 Tenth street SW. (rented— storage of 



specimens, preparators' and mechanical workshops) 6, 406 



Building No. 217 Seventh street SW. (rented — carpenter shops). 3,655 

 Building in rear of 915 Virginia avenue SW. (rented, paint and 

 glass shop) 2, 925 



43,203 



Total space now occupied 238, 689 



The allotments of space by subjects and by departments is as follows: 



By subjects: S<iuarefeet. 



Exhibition 112, 697 



Storage of reserve collections, scientific laboratories, and workrooms 75,468 



General and miscellaneous purposes, including mechanical workshops 

 and storage, heating plant, liljrary, lecture hall, pul^lic comfort, 

 administrative ofiices, etc 50, 524 



Total 238, 689 



By departments: 



Anthropology, including ethnology, archaeology, Ameri(!an history, and 



arts and industries 78, 280 



Biology, including zoology and botany 72, 914 



Geology, including division of practical geology 36, 971 



General and miscellaneous purposes 50, 524 



Total 238, 689 



An inspection of the several buildings shows conditions which are exceedingly 

 deplorable for the National Mtiseum of a great country. Every branch is seriously 

 liampered by the total inadequacy of the space assigned it, and the proper disposition 

 of specimens long ago became impossible, with the result that year after year valu- 

 able collections, often of large size, have had to be paiked away in insecure rented 

 buildings, where they are also inaccessible. While the Museum building is not ill 

 adapted to exhibition ]>urposes, it is much too small to serve the ])resent needs. Its 

 halls are overcrowded, the cases being generally placed so near together that two 

 persons can scarcely pass between them and no effective view of their contents can 

 be obtained. An increase in space of one-half to two-thirds at least would be nec- 

 essary to i)roperly display the present contents of these halls. 



