.•^4<) REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSETTM, 1903. 



end, of I'urnishino- popular instriu-tion and locreation,"" the Metropoli- 

 tan Museum ot" Art has been planned, to occupy several detached 

 buildinys covering more than 18 acres of ground in Central Park, 

 about half a mile from the Natural History Museum. Up to the 

 ])i'(\sent one building has been completed." It is 3-i5 feet long, 3'25 

 feet wide, and between 1876 and 1898 was erected in four sections 

 by the elder Hunt on sloping, and, partly for that reason, deep-lying 

 ground. It has four courts, a cellar, ground floor, and one additional 

 story, and is constructed of red brick with gray granite trimmings, 

 which looks very attractive, particularl}^ in summer when the park is 

 o-reen. The older portion is in Italian gothic, the newer in renaissance 

 style. The principal entrance is on one of the narrow sides. The cost 

 amounts to |500,000, with $65,000 additional for interior furnishings 

 and $90,000 for the power house. There is, besides, an imposing tire- 

 proof building of gray sandstone in the best renaissance style, 305 feet 

 long, 103 feet wide, and 88 feet high, connected with the former on its 

 rear side l)y a middle wing 107 feet long and i'A feet wide. This build- 

 ing was not tinished, however, at the time of my visit.* The architect 

 of the new building is the younger Hunt. It cost $1,000,000; the 

 interior furnishings and the power house $220,000 additional. The 

 city donated the ground and also, by authority of the government 

 of the Stat(>. of New York at Albany, bears the cost of building and 

 makes an aimual appropriation of $100,000 for the running expenses. 

 These amount to about $130,000, of which $90,000 go for salaries and 

 wages. The balance is paid l)y the corporation that founded the 

 museum in 1870, from the interest on its funds, which amount to 

 $580,00(>,'' and from private donations and special sources of income, 

 such as annual dues (about $20,000 from 2,000 members at $10), 

 entrance fees (on two days of the week, $5,000), sales of catalogues 

 ($3,000), etc. 



Until 1879 the collections were stored, one after another, in two 

 private houses. Patrons gave, and continue to give, the means fcM- 

 purchases, and donations and bequests were received in such profusion 

 that the large halls of the present museum, comprising together 

 almost 3f acres of space, were overcrowded after the first twenty 

 years. They are now relieved by the removal of a portion of their 

 contents to the new building, and the great hall of the latter is to be 

 devoted specially to sculpture. The library has over 6,000 volumes. 

 The value of the collections is estimated at more than $9,000,000. The 

 l)uilding is open on week days from 10 to 6, Monday and Friday for 

 nonm<nubers at an admission fee of 25 cents; also on these two days 



«The second large building has since been completed (1903). 

 ''Now -(1903) finished. 



'•The niUHcuni in 1901 reccMved $8,000,000 upon tlic death of Mr. Rogers, one of 

 its trustees. 



