DEPARTMENT BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS. 29 



THE DEPARTMENT BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS. 



With the establishraeut of a new department of Government in 1862 

 it was expected that separate ofiQces would be provided, but this was 

 not done till six years later. Reservation 2, at Washington, D. C, a 

 square of ground between Twelfth and Fourteenth streets S W., B street 

 S. and the canal, containing about 40 acres, was given to Commissioner 

 Newton as an experimental farm. The ground was broken, a su])p]y of 

 water was carried from the city waterworks, and considerable planting 

 was done, but there was little building during his time. 



The main Department building.— In 1867 Congress appropriated $100,000 

 for the erection on the reservation of an office building for the Depart- 

 ment. The contract was let to Francis Gibbous, jr., of Baltimore, and 

 on September 1, 1868, the house was ready for occupancy. About the 

 same time houses foi- use in the propagation of plants for distribution 

 were erected, along with conservatories, and a grapery for tests of 

 foreign grapes. The total cost of these buildings was 8140,000. The 

 frontispiece of this bulletin shows the main edifice. 



Afterwards some additions were made, but nothing considerable was 

 done till after the Atlanta Exposition in 1881. The Centennial Expo- 

 sition at Philadelphia added a large amount of material to the Depart- 

 ment museum, but it was thouglit sufficient to provide space for tliis 

 by putting up a gallery around the large room on the second floor of 

 the main building. This was then occupied by the museum, as it is 

 now by the library. But after the xVtlanta Exposition other additions 

 to the museum were made, and it was then found necessary to have 

 more room. Accordingly 810,000 was appropriated in 1881 for the con- 

 struction of a building for its use. The bill called it a "building for 

 display of agricultural implements." It was intended by Commissioner 

 Le Due that this should be of brick, and it was to be located some dis- 

 tance north of the .southeast corner of the reservation. Excavations 

 for the foundation were dug on this proposed site, but Mr. Le Due was 

 succeeded by Commissioner Loring and the plans were changed. The 

 extreme southeast corner of the grounds was chosen, and the frame 

 structure now used as a museum and for offices for several divisions of 

 the Department was erected. 



Erection of smaller structures.— Immediately after this an appropriation 

 of 825,000 for a building for the storage and distribution of seeds was 

 made, and the brick structure just southeast of the main building was 

 put up. It was occupied by the_Seed Division on the first floor and the 

 Division of Statistics on the second; but when, under Secretary 3Ior- 

 ton, the distribution of seed was taken away from Washington, the lower 

 story of the building was given to the Divisions of Entomology and 

 Biological Survey. In 1879 an appropriation of 81,500 was made for the 

 building of the stable and in 1883 $2,500 for an additional greenhouse. 

 In 1897 provision was made for the erection of a fire proof building at 

 a cost not to exceed $3,000. This was put up near the south entrance 



