HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM 



The 

 Building. 



The General 

 Design. 



Discussion 

 as to Site. 



of citizens made up of what was best and most valuable in New York 

 society. The petition begged for an appropriation sufficient to begin 

 the building of an Art and of a Scientific Museum, and the unanimity 

 of the appeal, its extraordinary strength, brought almost instant ac- 

 quiescence to this request. 



The Legislature responded to this appeal, and passed an act 

 authorizing the Department of Parks to contract for, erect, and main- 

 tain in and upon that portion of the Central Park formerly known as 

 Manhattan Square, or any other public park, square or place in said 

 city, a suitable fireproof building for the purpose of establishing and 

 maintaining therein, under rules and regulations to be prescribed by 

 the said Board from time to time, a museum of natural history to be 

 occupied by the American Museum of Natural History. 



Steps were taken to grade Manhattan Square and to prepare it for 

 the erection of the building. It is interesting to note that the original 

 committee in preparing a report containing preliminary recommenda- 

 tions as a basis for the designs, was instructed to consider both the 

 Metropolitan Museum and the American Museum. The preliminary 

 preparatory stages toward the submission of designs for the new 

 building were entered upon in earnest. Meetings of the Trustees were 

 convened for a discussion of the location of the new building, and 

 inspection trips were taken through the Park to consider this important 

 question in detail. At first there was an evident impression that the 

 site should be near the Menagerie or Zoological Gardens, that is, near 

 the Arsenal. The first position offered for the American Museum 

 was the site subsequently allotted to the Museum of Art. A special 

 Committee on Site, composed of Messrs. Haines, Jesup, and Stuart, 

 was finally appointed to confer with the Department of Parks with 

 reference to selecting a site for the new building, either within Central 

 Park, Reservoir Square, or Manhattan Square. Thus the sites of the 

 Metropolitan Museum of Art and of the New York Public Library 

 were both originally considered by the American Museum, and we 

 must regard it as a most fortunate circumstance that both were re- 

 jected and that Manhattan Square was finally chosen. This, however, 



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