GENERAL GUIDE TO THE MUSEUM 



INTRODUCTION 



The History and Work of the Museum 



TITK Ainciican Museum of Natural History was fijuudcd and incor- 

 |)()rat('(l in 18(39 for tlie purpose of estabhshinj;" a Museum and 

 Lil)rary of Natural History; of encouraging and developing the 

 study of Natural Science; of advancing the general knowledge of kindred 

 jj. subjects and to that end, of furnishing popular instruction. 



P^or eight years its temporary home was in the Arsenal in 

 Central Park. The corner stone of the present l)uilding in Manhattan 

 Square waslaid in 1874 })y President U.S. Grant, and in 1877 the first sec- 

 tion (South Central Pavilion) was completed. 



J . The Museum is located at 77th Street and Central Park 



West, and can l)e reached V)y the 8th or 9th Avenue surface 



cars, the 6th or 9th Avenue elevated to 81st Street station, or by the 



subway to 72nd or 79th Street station. The Museum is 



., . . open free everv dav in the vear; on week davs from 9 A.M. 



Admission * - - .^ 



to 5 P.M.. on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. 



The Museum ])uilding is one of the largest municipal structures in the 



City, and has cost approximately So. 000. 000. The South Facade is 710 



feet in length; the total area of the floor space is 470,789 square feet, or 



about 10 acres, of which 271,886 square feet are open to the public. The 



building when completed is designed to occupy all of ^lanhattan Square. 



The building is erected and largel}' maintained by the City, through 



the Department of Parks. Building funds are provided for 



, e * bv issues of Corporate Stock, which have been made at 

 and Support . ^ . 



intervals since 1871. The annual appropriation, known as 



the Maintenance Fund, is devoted to the heating, lighting, repair and 



supervision of the ])uilding and care of the collections. 



The Museum is under the control of a self-perpetuating Board of 

 Trustees, which has the entire direction of all its activities as well as the. 

 guardianship of all the collections and exhibits. The Trustees give their 

 services without renumeration. 



The funds which enable the Trustees to i)urchase s])e('imens. to 

 carry on explorations and various forms of scientific work, to prepare 

 and publish scientific i^apers and to enlarge the library are raised by 

 contributions from the Trustees and other friends. These contributions 

 come from three sources- -namely, tl) the Endowment Fund. (2) 

 Memberslii]) Fund. (.S) voluntary subscrii)ti()ns. 



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