16 UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



face of the new building is about 25 feet farther from B Street north 

 at the western corner than at the eastern corner, but in view of the 

 length of the front this difference is not noticeable on casual observa- 

 tion. At the middle the distance of the front from the street curb 

 is about 64 feet. The main entrance, facing south, is approached by 

 roads and paths in the Mall, but a secondary public entrance in the 

 center of the north front gives direct access from the street, at a 

 point not far distant from the car lines on Pennsylvania Avenue and 

 Ninth Street. 



The ground in this section of the Mall is much lower along the 

 northern edge than in the central and southern part, and at the loca- 

 tion of the building the natural slope was somewhat pronounced. In 

 order to obtain the grade established for the building, about 7 feet 

 above that of the adjacent street, it was necessary to do much exca- 

 vating;, amounting to about 9 feet in depth in the southern part of the 

 site but rapidly decreasing toward the north. The grade of the new 

 building is, therefore, considerably below that of the Smithsonian 

 building, but any objectionable effect which this difference might 

 otherwise produce is overcome by the embankment left in front of 

 the south face of the former, reaching well up in the elevation of the 

 basement. On the north side, viewed from any point in the adjoin- 

 ing streets or at a distance, the appearance of the building with 

 respect both to its grade and to its height is pleasing. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING 



In the designing of the building two principal objects were kept 

 in view, first, to secure the largest possible amount of available space 

 and, second, to produce a substantial and dignified structure, both 

 of which were satisfactorily accomplished. Planned as a great shell, 

 the better to meet the requirements for exhibition purposes, the 

 building contains few permanent division walls, and by giving excep- 

 tional width to the main mass an unusual extent of floor area as 

 compared with the extent of the outer walls has been obtained. Other 

 notable features are the absence of the customary monumental stair- 

 case, and the minimizing of dark spaces as also of distracting 

 architectural details in the interior. The construction is entirely 

 fireproof. 



The building is four stories high, is exposed and finished on all 

 sides, and occupies a ground area of nearly four acres. In plan, it 

 consists of a large pavilion in conjunction with a rotunda, facing 

 south, from which three wings extend to the east, west and north, 

 the latter in turn being connected near their outer ends by two 

 L-shaped ranges, one on each side, so arranged as to complete the 

 enclosure of two large courts. The outline produced is rectangular 



