A 1931 arcliili'ftiixil sketch for the two wings, showmg dual courts in each. The architects mislabeled Ninth Street, to the 

 east of the budding; the former B Street to the north has become Constitution Avenue. 



different tnjiii the offices and storage that were even- 

 tually constructed. 



After the authorization for the wings was given, ar- 

 chitectural sketches were prepared, and the staff of- 

 fered suggestions. Hrdlicka submitted a plan for an 

 elaborate hall of physical anthropology; Wetmore had 

 practical ideas about elevators, checking facilities, and 

 stairways for this proposed new space. But those fa- 

 miliar with the methods of Congress know the rela- 

 tionship of that slippery duo "authorize" and "appro- 

 priate." Nothing may be done unless it is authorized. 

 However, even if permission to perform a particular 

 action is given, nothing happens until money is granted. 

 Ten thousand dollars for planning was appropriated 

 in fiscal year 1931, and then momentum toward the 

 wings stopped. The Annual Report of the Museum de- 

 livered regular statements on the continually increasing 

 need for space, but because of the Great Depression 

 and then World War II, nothing happened. For years 

 the senior botanist, Conrad Morton, remarked that he 

 would have wings before the building did. 



James Bradley to the Rescue 



The next key person in this account was James C. Brad- 

 ley, first listed in the Annual Report for fiscal year 1959 

 as an assistant to Secretary Carmichael; Bradley later 

 became an assistant secretary and finally under secre- 

 tary. One of his first acts in his new position was to read 

 the authorization bill passed years earlier. He noted 

 how little other Smithsonian administrators at the time 



seemed to know of overall Congressional process. The 

 authorization for construction had been given in 1930 

 with the proviso that the cost not exceed $6,500,000 — 

 which, incidentally, was nearly twice the cost of the 

 original building. 



Having digested the bill, Bradley called the General 

 Services Administration and was advised that Congres- 

 sional authorization would not have to be renewed if 

 it could be shown that the new cost estimate was com- 

 mensurate with the first, given the normal inflation that 

 had occurred over the intervening years. Next Bradley 

 went to Arnold Spaatz, a retired Air Force general who 

 headed the Office of Management and Budget. Spaatz 

 would have liked to help the Smithsonian, but the con- 

 struction estimate of $19,000,000 for both wings was 

 just too high. Bradley then suggested that the construc- 

 tion start out with one wing. Spaatz agreed, and in May 

 1960 Congress appropriated a sum that was expected 

 to cover the renovating and airconditioning of the ex- 

 isting building, plus the construction of the east wing. 

 When construction finally began, the addition had overall 

 dimensions of 190 by 180 feet and consisted of a base- 

 ment, ground floor, and six upper floors. 



Mills, Petticourt, and Mills of Washington, D.C., were 

 the architects for both wings. The George Hyman Con- 

 struction Company did a rapid job on the east wing, 

 and finished the building faster than had been antici- 

 pated. Its bid for the east wing was actually lower than 

 budgeted for. With these savings in the kitty, the Smith- 

 sonian requested and received an additional $4,336,000 



104 



The Exhibits 



