JOHN DAVID WOLFE 



THE ARSENAL— THE FIRST HOME OF THE MUSEUM 



At first there was no building, no hall or room for the exhibition 

 of the collections, and this urgency caused the President and Trustees 

 first to look to the Cooper Union, that hospitable center for all public 

 efforts in education and culture, and subsequently (December 30, 1868) 

 to the Commissioners of the Central Park, correspondence with whom 

 led later to the occupancy of the old Arsenal building in Central Park. 



The Arsenal was an oblong structure of four stories with its corners 

 broken by four polygonal towers, and four more placed midway be- 

 tween them. The second and third stories were surrendered to the 

 Museum. New cases were furnished by the Commissioners, numerous 

 repairs effected, and, through the efforts of Professor Bickmore and 

 Dr. Holder, it was made attractive. In reality, the conjunction of 

 this first position of the Museum with the Park Menagerie, or Zoological 

 gardens, in the midst of which it stood, was a fortunate coincidence. 

 It assisted greatly the Museum's popularity. 



With the additions almost daily made to the collections, and the 

 complete absence of space for the accommodation of duplicates, and 

 preparation of specimens, as well as the obvious temporary and danger- 

 ous nature of the Arsenal building, the Trustees became more and 

 more impressed with the need of erecting a different and suitable struc- 

 ture. From the outset of this enterprise it was intended eventually to 

 erect a building which in its capacity and architectural features would 

 command attention, and by permitting a proper exhibition of its col- 

 lections lead to a scientific revival in New York. Messrs. Blodgett, 

 Roosevelt, and Morgan were therefore early (November 14, 1870) 

 appointed "to take in charge and procure such legislation as may be 

 necessary to promote the interests of the Museum." 



The moment was propitious. The sister Museum of Art, already 

 in its personnel, partly identified with the Museum of Natural History, 

 wished also a better home than a wandering locus in private residences. 

 The movements combined. Their united strength was irresistible. A 

 great petition actually enclosing 40,000 names was prepared, a body 



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