36 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1957 



During the past school term 116 tours were conducted, the docents 

 escorting in all 3,056 children through the exhibit halls of the Amer- 

 ican Indians and the First Ladies of the White House. Counting 

 those from last year, a grand total of 7,556 children have thus far 

 been escorted. The tours were conducted Monday through Saturday 

 by Mrs. G. E. Brown, Mrs. Alexander Chilton, Mrs. Walter Graves, 

 Mrs. Edward Lamont, Mrs. William McClure, Mrs. Robert McCor- 

 mick, Mrs. Peter Macdonald, Mrs. John Manfuso, Mrs. Robert Nelson, 

 Mrs. Boiling Powell, Mrs. Jay B. L. Reeves, Mrs. John Schoenfeld, 

 Mrs. E. T. Stirling, Mrs. Richard Wallis, and Mrs. George Wyeth. 



The number of schoolchildren thus far accommodated is gratifying, 

 yet it is only a small percentage of the number who come to the 

 Museum from all States of the Union to visit the Museum. The 

 numerous requests for this type of service only accentuate the acute 

 need for an expanded program. The Junior League of Washington 

 is enthusiastic about continuing this volunteer service and intends to 

 expand it next year to include two more exhibition halls that have 

 recently been opened, Everyday Life in Early America and the 

 Power Hall. 



VISITORS 



During the fiscal year 1957 there were 4,076,908 visitors to the 

 Museum buildings, an increase of 556,802 over the attendance for 1956. 

 The average daily number of visitors was 11,614. On one day, May 

 4, 1957, 73,141 visitors were recorded. Attendance records for the 

 three buildings show the following numbers of visitors : Smithsonian 

 Building, 791,663 ; Arts and Industries Building, 2,125,198 ; and Nat- 

 ural History Building, 1,160,044. March 1957 was the month of the 

 largest attendance with 623,502 visitors; April 1957 was the next 

 largest with 570,425; and August 1956 was third with 551,394. In- 

 cluded in this total are 370,034 schoolchildren, who arrived in 9,193 

 separate groups. 



BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT 



The architects of the new building for the Museum of History and 

 Technology completed their studies for the exterior design of the 

 building and submitted diagrammatic plans in accordance with the 

 estimated schedule for their work. The design they favored was 

 voted the preference of the Joint Congressional Committee on Con- 

 struction of a Building for a Museum of History and Technology for 

 the Smithsonian Institution. The Committee so advised the Regents 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, and the Regents voted unanimously 

 to adopt the preferred design. Upon the completion of the diagram- 

 matic plans, the architects and the Public Buildings Service made 



