March 25, 1898.] 



SCmNCE. 



411 



obtained from the Museum authorities for 

 this comprehensive plan and it was soon 

 abandoned. We did, however, receive some 

 encouragement for the idea of occupying 

 rooms in the Museum building, as tenants 

 at pleasure of the Trustees, but when we 

 came to discuss the details of such an 

 arrangement so many administrative diffi- 

 culties were discovered that it was deemed 

 impracticable. 



In January, 1S93, the question of remov- 

 ing the present City Hall to Bryant Square 

 and devoting it to the use of the Tilden 

 Trustees for library purposes was under 

 discussion and it looked as if it might be 

 decided affirmatively. Your committee took 

 advantage of this situation to address a me- 

 morial to the Municipal Building Commis- 

 sion, which had the matter in charge, urging 

 that, in case the City Hall was to be con- 

 verted to educational purposes, the Scien- 

 tific Alliance be given a permanent home in 

 it in return for such services as it could 

 render the public through the use of its 

 libraries and free lecture courses. It was 

 not necessary to pui-sue this project long, 

 because public sentiment compelled the 

 abandonment of the plan for removing the 

 City Hall from its present site. 



In June, 1895, the Council was incorpo- 

 rated by an Act of the Legislature of the 

 State of ISTew York, in which the objects 

 were stated as follows : " To establish and 

 maintain a scientific center in the City of 

 New York, in which scientific societies can 

 have their headquarters ; to establish, accu- 

 mulate, hold and administer a public library 

 and a museum, having special reference to 

 scientific subjects ; to publish scientific 

 works or periodicals ; to give scientific in- 

 struction by lectures or otherwise, and to 

 advance by appropriate means scientific dis- 

 covery and the knowledge of scientific truth 

 among the people ; and to these ends to 

 take and hold property as aforesaid ; to 

 erect or acquire, by deed, contract or other- 



wise, a suitable building, buildings, or part 

 of a building, to contain such library and 

 museum, and other rooms appropriate to 

 the purposes aforesaid, and to the advance- 

 ment of the scientific objects of the various 

 societies represented in said corporation." 



Early in 1896 the committee began to 

 realize that the several plans which had 

 been considered, for cooperation between 

 the Alliance and other institutions, were 

 not developing into tangible shape, and they 

 therefore turned their attention to the 

 original idea of a building exclusively for 

 the use of the Alliance. To this they felt 

 encouraged by the evidences then appear- 

 ing that the general financial condition of 

 the country was beginning to improve, and 

 by the revival of public spirit and local pride 

 manifested by many generous gifts and 

 other practical aids bestowed upon various 

 benevolent and educational entei-prises by 

 the citizens of New York. Accordingly, 

 without relinquishing the lines of eflbrt 

 previously pursued, the committee began a 

 quiet study of the broader problem and in- 

 vited several well-known architects to make 

 preliminary sketches of a building calcu- 

 lated to meet the needs of the allied so- 

 cieties and to come within a limit of cost 

 for which it seemed possible that the Coun- 

 cil might raise the money. 



The first design submitted was by Mr. 

 Geo. Martin Huss and was intended for a 

 building entirely given up to the uses of the 

 societies and consequently producing no 

 revenue except from the occasional rental 

 of its halls. The elevation was submitted 

 to the Council at the meeting of May 21, 

 1896, and was adjudged to be dignified and 

 impressive in style, but the question im- 

 mediately arose as to the advisability of 

 providing for office and store space in addi- 

 tion to lecture-halls and meeting-rooms in 

 the building, and it was suggested to the 

 committee to procure an alternative design 

 embodying these features. Accordingly, at 



