Evening star., 1930-06-17
NATIONAL MUSEUM
EXTENSION PLANS
SOON TO Be DRAWN
Passage of Smoot-ElIiott Bill
by House Authorizes
Procedure.
$500, 900 APPROPRIATION
FOLLOWS AUTOMATICALLY
Only Small Portion of Available
Material Is Exhibited Under
Present Cramped Conditions.

With a maximum appropriation of
t6,50O,0 900 authorized by Congress, ar
chitects' plans now will be drawn for
extensions of the north and south wings
of the New National Museum which will
approximately double the exhibition
and Office space.
Under the Smoot- Elliott bill which
passed the House yesterday, 1t was ex-
planned at the Smithsonian Institution,
no money is actually appropriated, but
the authorization of such an appropria-
tion gives the secretary authority to
have the plans drawn, and at future
session the amount required within the
authorized sum will be automatically
appropriated.
The present National Museum Build
ing was completed at cost OF $780,
900 in 1911, but long since has been
so overcrowded with the 100000 or
more articles in the collections that it
now is possible to exhibit only a small
portion of the material, valuable col
lections must be turned away for want
of room; corridors are filed with cases
containing specimens and Office and lab
oratory room is at a premium. More
over the collection is increasing at a
rate of more than 100000 specimens a
year, The natural history collection is
already the largest in the United States,
engaging the attention OF approximate
ly 80 scientists. These are crowded into
small offices.
Paintings Hung in Corridors.
Part of the available space is taken
up by the National Gallery of Art for
which a separate building IS proposed
eventually. Now the corridors are hung
with valuable paintings because there
is no other place for them The nat
ural history collection has increased so
rapidly that it had been impossible TO
study it adequately or afford proper
facilities for visiting scientists who wish
to make use of the material. Another
building proposed for the future Is an
industrial engineering museum, COM
parable to the natural history museum.
Then the art gallery and the two great
museums will form group on the Mall.
Under the charter issued to the
Smithsonian Institution in 1846 the
secretary was required to build a mu-
scum Immediately. The result was the
old Smithsonian Institution building,
which at first was supported entirely
from the Smithsonian fund, while the
collections increased by leaps with the
material garnered by Government sur
veying and military expeditions into the
unexplored Western country. Folkwtng
the bringing to Washington OF carloads
dition In Philadelphia, in 1876, more
space became necessary and the old
National Museum, now used to house
the industrial and historical collections,
was built at cost Of $25o,o0o.
War Brought Added Material.
This soon became crowded beyond
endurance and the present structure
was built to house only the natural
history collections. Following the World
War the available space was greatly re-
stricted by the great mass of historical
and military material for which there
were no other quarters. The aviation
exhibit was relegated to a temporary
building, which Is still in use.
In the Natural History building, 1t
was explained, there are at present
10000 mammal specimens alone. but
1t is possible to exhibit only / 400 OF
them. The total estimate of 100000
specimens would be greatly exceeded If
numerous groups were split up into
separate items.
When the accumulated mass Of ma
terial from the patent ofi1ce was made
available to the museum few years
ago, 1t was explained, only the most
valuable articles could be accepted for
lack of space, and much material Illus
trative of the advance of American
civilization had to be passed over.
The present exhibition halls, it was
explained, now are SO overcrowded that
the casual visitor is apt to become con-
fused amid the great variety, and carry
away 8 very indefinite impression Of
the material.
The purpose Of the historical and in
dustrial sections is entirely custodial and
space Is required only for the proper
exhibition Of the items illustrative of
the progress Of American culture. The
natural history division, however, Is
intended not only TO furnish as thor
ough an exhibition as possible but to
conduct research work. Thus prac-
tically all insect Investigations must
start with the type specimens there.
The present natural history building
contains approximately 10 acres of floor
space.