THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



ticular importance in the educational work of the Museum. 

 Voluntary contributions may be used for general purposes 

 or for such particular object as the donor may specify; 

 some of the most important and valuable collections have 

 been obtained through such gifts. 



The Museum building is erected by the City of New 

 York. It is one of the largest municipal structures in the 

 city and has cost approximately $5,318,820. 



The building, of which eight sections have been com- 

 pleted, will cover the entire area of Manhattan Square. 

 The first section was erected in 1874-1877. The present 

 South Facade is 710 feet in length from tower to tower. 

 Eastern, western, and northern facades, comparable with 

 this in length, are planned for the completed structure, 

 which will be larger than any building in the world to-day, 

 even the Escorial of Spain or the Capitol at Washington. 

 The total area of the floor space is 470,789 square feet, or 

 about eleven acres, of which 271,886 square feet are open 

 to the public. 



The City makes an annual appropriation, known as the 

 Maintenance Fund, which is devoted to the heating, light- 

 ing, repairing and supervising of the building, the care of 

 the collections, the construction of cases and other mainte- 

 nance work. This fund in 1915 amounted to $200,000. 

 The Trustees also contribute to the Maintenance Fund an- 

 nually in amounts varying from $50,000 to $100,000, in- 

 asmuch as the municipal appropriation is inadequate thor- 

 oughly to maintain the building. 



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