BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCES . I 7 



For twenty two years the Young Men's Association Li- 

 brary, the Society of Natural Sciences, the Fine Arts Academy 

 and the Historical Society occupied the old St. James' Hotel and 

 Hall property at the corner of Main and Eagle Streets, but in 

 the later years when the library and the several collections had 

 grown to large and valuable proportions, there had developed 

 a strongly increasing desire to see these possessions more safely 

 housed and more adequately provided for in a fire proof build- 

 ing. In the autumn of 1882 steps were taken by nine public 

 spirited citizens of Buffalo to secure from the Board of Super- 

 visors the site once occupied by the old county buildings at the 

 corner of Washington and Clinton Streets, which had been 

 vacated in 1876. April 18, 1883 a meeting of prominent men 

 was held at the residence of Mr. Sherman S. Jewett when a 

 plan was submitted for erecting on that site a suitable fire proof 

 building for the joint occupancy of the Library and its three 

 sister societies. This plan met with such hearty approval that 

 the undertaking was at once entered upon with vigor. At the 

 meeting of the Society of Natural Sciences held April 24, 1883, 

 a resolution was adopted "That the Buffalo Society of Natural 

 Sciences most cordially approves of the project as one which will 

 materially aid in forwarding the cause of education in this city. 

 That a committee of five be appointed from this society to advise 

 with and assist other committees appointed for this purpose. 

 That we earnestly entreat all friends of our Society to forward 

 this work in every way in their power, feeling that now is the 

 time to place these institutions in a position which will make 

 them an honor to the city, and will materially increase their 

 powers of usefulness." 



It was necessary that in addition to the funds to be ob- 

 tained by a loan upon the Main and Eagle Street property, an 

 additional $100,000.00 should be raised by subscription and in 

 the campaign which now followed to secure this sum the mem- 

 bers of the Society of Natural Sciences were earnest and actively 

 vigorous in generous assistance. When the final appeal was made 

 to the public at large, the result was a happy surprise to all con- 

 cerned. A building fund suscription of $ 1 1 7, 000 00 was secured, 

 after much mutual conference plans were prepared and adopted 

 and in January 1885, the contracts for the principal work were let. 

 The noble structure which was to become not only an architec- 

 tural ornament but a powerful moral force as well in this city 



