Evening star., 1928-03-23
FAMOUS VOLUMES
TOBE HOUSED HERE
Capital Home Planned for
Greatest Collection of
Shakespeare.

The worlds best collection of Shake
sNearesns. embracing 90 900 rare VOL
un,eS. is 70 be brought to the National
Carital and housed III monumental
new building 10 be erected at private
cost iii the rear OF the Library OF Con-
grcSS
Announcement OF the eif; 70 the
Capj}ai ot this remarkable library by
Henry c, Folger. retired Standard Oil
executive 81 New York City. was made
TO-DAY hy Herbert Putnam, librarian OF
Congress
FIRST intimation of the gift was con-
tanned IL the recent report by the
House committee on the Library IN con-
l1cctloa with a House resolution for the
ACQUISITION OF the two squares III the
rnar. Of the Library for the erection OF a
structure auxiliary 70 the present build
ing.
Building Site Acquired.
L was brought out that the entire
northern half Of square 200, fronting
on East Capitol street and known as
Grant Row. has been acquired by Mr..
polSer rs = site for the new Shakespear-
can building. In thlS imposing structure
he intends 20 place his collection, en-
COW i with an ample fund for lis
maintenance and mr}ner development
and dedicate The whole 10 the public.
In reporting OUT the bill the House
committee recommended that the Grant
ROW tract be omitted from the area
crl2lnally proposed for acquisition by
the Government, the report explaining
that the tract lis 10 be developed by
project that Will not merely not inter-
fers with the utilization o. the residue
of the two squares for Library uses, but
be fully consistent with il, and indeed
prove cooperative with the larger pur-
poses q the Library as an institution"
Collection World Famed.
The collection itself-the result of
wears OF patient effort and costly eX-
penditure-tlough developed very Quiet
II ana held rather privately, has a
world fame for lis editions, and Its nu-
merouS variant copies OF the works OF
Shakespeare himself, and o. his Eliza
bethan contemporaries, No Catalogue OF
il has been before the public, but from
time 70 time its treasures have been DIS
closed through some census of the
existing Shakespeare rarities tQuartos
or first folioSl. or note OF some eXtracr-
Ginary acQuisltion-aS, 3 copy OF the
firSt collected edition. preceding the
first folio. Some years ago II was es-
t5n,ate9 TO contain about 10000 volumes.
and IL the quality Of its items 1t Is not
SURPASSED even BIZ the British Museum.
The building that Mr.. Folger proposes
for il viii. he assures the committee. be
IL full harmony with the monumental
character OF the group with which II
VIII be associated. This implies that,
as seen from Capitol Square, 1t viii
prove q fitting vista through the gap
formed by the Library of Congress on
sE- rs@ .E T1~
and the proposed Supreme Court build
ing or the north
His further assurance OF an ample
endowment for its maintenance and
the further development OF the collec-
ton perfects the project in Its general
outlines
SIse,Oo9 Fund Saved u. S.
As 70 the effect OF Mr.. Folger's prof.
ect upon the plans for the Library of
Congress itself. Mr. Putnam pointed
rut that the immediate effect was TO
reduce the proposed acquisition by one
fourth. leaving, however, a residue
gsuuare 76i and one-haf Of square
rs0) as large as the area covered by
the present library building. It reduces
also by $4,000 the amount proposed
30 be appropriated. leaving this as
&CNA.RDls 44AsN@&A ga kfaE &hcos1Vt NAAS
srsIlV proposed. 1t viii also simplify
and economic the treatment Of the
proposed auxisiarV laaraEg structure. the
frontage on East Capitol street being
taken care Of in q dsgnlfled way by the
facade Of the building 10 be erected
by Mr. Folger.
II 5rief, Mr Folger's project fits SO
neatly into the Official one that if the
two squares were already Government
property this northern section might
wei have been dedicated TO ii.
AEr Folgey is q graduate of Amherst
College. from which he has also a
masters degree Ia arts and an hon.
orsry 6octoyale Of letters. conferred IN
1914 For several years be Was presi-
dent C the Standard Oh Of New York.