1 8 Report of the President 



may be erected at an expenditure of between $5,000,000 and 

 $6,000,000 when the means are provided. 



First attention has been given to the new Southeast Wing 

 and Court Building, the ground plans of which are presented 

 herewith, together with the proposed arrangement of the col- 

 lections therein. This is the most imperative and pressing 

 need of the American Museum at the present moment. These 

 buildings will provide storage room; space for our large 

 oceanographic and mammals-of-the-sea collections on the first 

 floor; space for the animal life of Asia and Europe on the 

 second floor; space for the superb collections of existing fishes 

 and reptiles on the third floor, which are now crowded into the 

 central pavilion and the adjacent gallery on the second floor, 

 in the dark and out of sight; space for all life of the 

 American continent prior to the Upper Cretaceous on the 

 fourth floor, and offices, laboratories and storage room for the 

 more delicate collections, on the fifth floor. It is believed 

 that the plan of this building, which is the result of four years' 

 continuous study, will make the most perfect museum unit of 

 its kind in the world at the present time. The exterior is 

 in excellent taste. The Southeast Court is also gracefully 

 designed and will make possible for the first time the exhibi- 

 tion of the superb collection of whales presented by the late 

 George S. Bowdoin and others. The President cannot urge 

 too strongly upon the Trustees and Members of the Museum 

 the desirability of the gift of this building as a splendid monu- 

 ment to public education and a lasting memorial of the present 

 period of museum development in the world. A special folder 

 was issued July 1, 1915, describing the plans of this building. 



Apian of very great importance for the future scientific 

 and artistic development of the City of New York was sug- 

 gested to the President some years ago by a 

 Approaches from member of our Board whose name J s with- 

 the Eastern Side , , , T . ... . . , 



of the City held. It is the utilization of the great space 



in Central Park to be left vacant by the 

 removal of the south Croton reservoir. This plan has been 

 studied in an informal manner and in a preliminary way with 

 the approval and cooperation of the present Commissioner of 



