rosy as people imagine). One speaker 
alluded apologetically to the scene: 
To the stranger who comes here today 
these rugged foundation walls and rough 
surroundings are not well calculated to 
make a pleasant impression; but to us 
. . . it requires but little strain upon the 
imagination to conceive the speedy oc- 
cupation of all these vacant lots by sub- 
stantial dwellings, and to picture to our- 
selves the spot on which we now stand, 
known as Manhattan Square, as covered 
by the proposed Museum of Natural His- 
tory. 
The first building opened to the 
public in 1878. It was an austere, Vic- 
torian Gothic structure that looked out 
upon a wasteland of rubble and un- 
drained ponds. It was so far uptown 
that its exhibition halls had virtually 
no visitors, and at one point, the trust- 
ees actually considered closing the 
place. But better times were ahead, 
according to Gratacap: 
The local isolation which had at first 
seemed discouraging was in the process 
of improvement. The Manhattan Elevated 
Railway pushed forward its tracks to 81st 
Street and on to Harlem, and brought 
Manhattan Square into practical union 
with all quarters of the city. An extraor- 
dinary movement northward was soon de- 
veloped. and the ridges of rock, unpleas- 
antly encumbered with shanties, were 
blasted to a level, and covered with 
houses. Centers of population were cre- 
ated, as in 72nd Street and the Dakota 
Apartments, Saint Agnes' Church at 94th 
Street with its surroundings, and the grow- 
ing inhabitation of Riverside Drive. 
These, spreading, met along lengthening 
lines of contact, and a population was 
becoming localized directly at the doors 
of the Museum. 
A Romanesque Revival facade de- 
signed by J.C. Cady was added to 
the Museum in 1889, and in 1893 
the east wing was built. These greatly 
improved the Museum’s appearance; 
in fact, the faqade has often been 
called the finest example of Roman- 
esque Revival architecture in the city. 
During the next fifteen years, the Mu- 
seum continued to expand along the 
designs of Vaux and Mould. By 1899, 
the west wing, southeast corner wing, 
and southwest corner wing had been 
erected. The heating and lighting 
plant (a squat windowless cube) and 
a lecture hall were erected by 1903. 
In 1906 the south wing of the west 
fa9ade was finished. When construc- 
tion finally stalled, only one-third of 
Vaux’s original building was complete. 
In particular, the all-important east 
faqade facing Central Park had not 
been built, and the Museum started 
looking at various designs. 
In 1911, two architects submitted 
a plan calling for “an entrance of 
monumental size” with a “broad and 
dignified avenue of approach.” This 
idea bounced around for a while, but 
nothing came of it. Then, when Teddy 
Roosevelt died in 1919, the Museum 
decided to turn the east fa$ade into 
a monument for him. The monument 
was to “interpret the character of Roo- 
sevelt as a naturalist and citizen” and 
“suggest a lofty standard of idealism 
through harmonious lines inspired by- 
models chosen from the golden age 
of architecture.” The Romanesque 
Revival style was abandoned and re- 
placed by an architectural style that 
has become known as Roman Eclec- 
tic — “Roman” because it borrowed 
various bits and pieces from Roman 
and Greek models, and "Eclectic” be- 
cause it borrowed indiscriminately. 
John Russell Pope, specialist in clas- 
This winter you can discover 
Java, Bali, Komodo Island. Sulawesi 
and the Moluccas on the 
American Museum of Natural History's 
' ' INDONESIAN ODYSSEY 
February 21 to March 13, 1982 
MOLUCCAS 
Banda 
Relax on our luxury vessel, the M.V. Regina Mans, as she 
cruises through these Islands of the Heavenly Kings Enjoy 
lush tropical landscapes studded with smoking volcanoes 
fabulous coral reefs and beaches teeming with gorgeous 
birds. . and other exotic animals such as the enormous 
Komodo dragons. This winter discover paradise with the 
staff and friends of the American Museum of Natural History. 
95 
