Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-06
The New National Museum.


All educated and thoughtful people who
Ieiieve In the eternal fitness of things and
who would enlarge the fine collection of
pubic buildings which the nations capital
already possesses, will thank you for the
timely and appropriate editorial article
which appeared in your issue for Saturday
last calling attention to the present eye
detractlng," unattractive, undignified, un-
worthy, railway or drill-shed-like building
known as the National Museum, and pro-
testing against further dstgurng the
smithsonian Park with a duplica ton of that
melancholy structure. There is absolutely
nothing in The appearance of the existing
National Museum building to indicate the
character, greatness or achievements of the
american people. AS it stands it is dis
grace to the nation, not even a tolerable
specimen of architecture, vulgar to the last
cegree, and miserably arranged within
When the nation builds it should honor it.
self as 1t has in the Congressional Library;
1t should build for all time with the best
materials, and in style of architecture ap-
propriate to the uses to which the structure
Is to be put. Those having the matter in
charge should put forth their utmost en-
deavor to prevent other buildings, of ma
tional character, being erected in this city
IKE the bureau of pensions, the National
museum, the Army Medical Museum and
the Department of Agriculture.
With the Capitol, the Congressional Ii
brary, the new city post office, the new Cor
&C ran Art Gallery and the proposed I'M
posing and really fine Episcopal Cathedral
the great Memorial bridge, the monument to
Lincoln and the numerous university build
1ngs yet to be erected not to omit the new
patent once and Secretary Morton's antici-
ated new department of Agriculture. Wash
1nSton Will be second only to Paris in its
public buildings. That is to say, if common
sense prevails and We build as we'll as we
know how.
Those of your readers who have seen the
a nd 1ip h1,i1 ofI
the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool the
British Museum and Museum of Natural
History in London, the Luxembourg, the
Louvre and the great museum at Versailles
the museum at Berlin and the grand public
buildings at Munich, as well as many Others
In Europe which might be mentioned will
agree with me that Washington, the capital
OF the foremost nation on the globe and
admitted to be the most beautiful CITY, can
rot afford to indulge in such another freak
as the existing National Museum building
Possibly a two or three million dollar muse
UNI building will rebound as much to the
honor and credit of the American nation as
new battle ship! If we may not hope to
rival in size and beauty the METROPOLITAN
museums of New York, we may at least
equal such buildings as have been erected in
Boston, Milwaukee, Buffalo and other pro-
vncial cities, or even the Museum Of His
torc Art at Princeton, N. J..
The new building should be at least sew
eral stories high, with handsome halls and
galleries. II costs no more TO put a roof
upon a high building than it does upon a
low one, and the floor space can be largely
increased. The heavy and cumbersome ex-
hibits should be on the ground floor, such as
sculptures, specimens of building materials,
monuments or memorials. locomotives
nausoeums, large works in terra Gotta,
large examples of architecture and many
other things too numerous to be mentioned
All the smaller and lighter things should be
arranged in the upper galleries. But this is
matter of detail which does not need
celebrating until the occasion requires The
library in the u,useum should be open to
the public and there should be reading
room connected with it and alcoves for spe-
cial studies. Possibly the new proposed free
library for Washington might be provided
for in the new building. A more appropriate
or quieter place for study could hardly be
found, and the contents of the museum would
be great aid and constant object lesson to
the reader There would be nothing incon-
gruous in this plan; on the contrary, it pos
sesses so many advantages that it may prove
to be a good solution of the free library
problem. FULLER-WALKER