258 The Smithsonian Institution 



in the second story, flooring, plastering, and painting to com- 

 plete the interior finish, and providing seats for the lecture- 

 room. 



According to the Report of the committee for 1855, it would 

 appear that early in the year the edifice was completed, and 

 the final report of the architect approved by the committee. 



As various changes were made in the original plan, the 

 following brief description of interior arrangements will not 

 be inappropriate. The interior of the east wing was sepa- 

 rated into two stories, the upper of which was divided into a 

 suite of rooms for the accommodation of the family of the 

 Secretary; the lower story comprised principally a large 

 single room, appropriated to the storage of publications and 

 the reception and distribution of books connected with the 

 system of exchange. The upper story of the eastern con- 

 necting range was divided into a number of small apartments 

 devoted to the operations in natural history, and the lower 

 story was fitted up as a working laboratory. 



The interior of the main edifice, 200 feet long by 50 feet 

 wide, consists of two stories and a basement. The upper 

 story was divided into a lecture-room capable of holding two 

 thousand persons; and into two additional rooms, one on 

 either side, each 50 feet square, one of which was appropri- 

 ated to a museum of apparatus, and the other at that time to a 

 gallery of art. Both were occasionally used as minor lecture- 

 rooms and for the meetings of scientific, educational, or in- 

 dustrial associations. The lower story of the main building 

 consisted of one large hall for a museum or a library. It 

 was unoccupied at first, but was used, as the means were 

 provided for furnishing it, with proper cases for the exhibi- 

 tion of natural history and other collections. The basement 

 of this portion of the building was used as a lumber-room 

 and as a receptacle for fuel. 



