REPOKT OF THE SECRETARY. 17 



iiuirily to accommodate the mass of objects received by the Government 

 from the International Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876, these objects 

 having' been in storage for several years. The present building was 

 cheapl}^ erected and Avas not expected to uicet the requirements of a 

 great national museum, and Secretary Baird soon found it necessary to 

 present to Congress the question of constructing a more adequate one; 

 and already in 1888, in my early incumbency, this was represented 

 to the Regents. Although Congress at various times during- the past 

 twenty 3'ears has had the matter under consideration, definite action 

 was not taken by both Senate and House. During tlie first session of 

 the last Congress, however, a small appropriation was made for prepa- 

 ration of plans for a new building, as 1 stated in my last report. 

 Preliminary plans were submitted to Congress at its last session and 

 authority has been granted to the Regents of the Institution to proceed 

 in the construction of an additional building, to contain about 10 acres 

 of floor space, or treble that we have at present, which will be worth}'^ 

 to accommodate the great collections of the nation. 

 The law reads as follows: 



" Building for National Museum: To enable the Regents of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution to commence the erection of a suitable fireproof 

 building with granite fronts, for the use of the National JNIuseum, to 

 be erected on the north side of the Mall, between Ninth and Twelfth 

 streets northwest, substantially in accordance with Plan A, prepared 

 and submitted to Congress by the Secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution under the provisions of the act approved June twenty-eighth, 

 nineteen hundred and two, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 

 Said building complete, including heating and ventilating" apparatus and 

 elevators, shall cost not to exceed three million five hundred thousand 

 dollars, and a contract or contracts for its completion is hereby author- 

 ized to be entered into, subject to appropriations to be made by Congress. 

 The construction shall be in charge of Bernard R. Green, Superintend- 

 ent of Buildings and Grounds, Library of Cono-ress, who shall make 

 the contracts herein authorized and disburse all appropriations made 

 for the work, and shall receive as full compensation for his services 

 hereunder the sum of two thousand dollars annually in addition to his 

 present salar}', to be paid out of said appropriations." 



The Regents, at their meeting of March 12, adopted the following- 

 resolution: 



'''' Resolved^ That the Secretary, with the advice and consent of the 

 Chancellor and the chairman of the executive committee, be author- 

 ized to I'epresent the Board of Regents, so far as may be necessary, in 

 consultation with Bernard R. Cireen, to whom the construction and 

 contracts for the new Museum building are committed by Congress in 

 the act making an appropriation for that purpose." 



The final plans for the new structure were commenced toward the 



close of the fiscal 3"ear, and the construction will be pushed as rapidly 



as is consistent with the magnitude of the work. It has been decided 



to locate the building on the northern side of the Smithsonian Park, 



sai 1903 2 



