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CONTRACT 



WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC PARKS 



FOR THE OCCUPATION OF THE NEW BUILDING. 



This Agreement, made and concluded on the twenty-sec- 

 ond day of December, in the year one thousand eight hun- 

 dred and seventy-seven, between the Department of Public 

 Parks of the City of New York, the party of the first part, 

 and the American Museum of Natural History, party of 

 the second part, Witnesseth : 



Whereas, by an Act of the Legislature of the State of New 

 York, passed April 22d, 1876, entitled "An Act in relation 

 to the powers and duties of the Board of Commissioners of 

 the Department of Public Parks, in connection with the 

 American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan 

 Museum of Art," the said party of the first partis authorized 

 and directed to enter into a contract with the said party of 

 the second part, for the occupation by it of the buildings 

 erected or to be erected on that portion of the Central Park, 

 in the City of New York, known as Manhattan Square, and for 

 transferring thereto and establishing and maintaining therein 

 its museum, library and collections, and carrying out the ob- 

 jects and purposes of said party of the second part ; and 



Whereas, a building contemplated by said Act has now been 

 erected and nearly completed and equipped in a manner suita- 

 ble for the purposes of said Museum, as provided in the first 

 Section of the Act of May 15, 1875, known as Chapter 351, 

 of the Laws of 1875, for the purpose of establishing and 

 maintaining therein the said museum, as provided by the 

 said last-named Act, and by the Act of April 5, 1871, known 

 as Chapter 290, of the Laws of 1871 ; and 



