Evening star., 1937-01-03
Offer to President
Made in Letters
Now Public.
STRUCTURE COST
OVER 100000
Site on Mall Specified for
National Exhibit of
Finest Works.

Andrew w. Mellon, former Sec
fetary of the Treasury, has ten
dered to the Nation through
President Roosevelt, and the
Executive will recommend ac-
ceptance, the priceless Mellon art
collection ranked among the
worlds finest-together with a
projected $4,000. Coo toss, 900 900
National Gallery of Art" on the
Mall in which to house it.
The gift, destined to make
Washington one Of the principal
art capitals of the world, was
disclosed last night when the
President made public a series OF
four letters exchanged between
Mellon and himself since De-
cember %.
At the same time, Mellon disclosed
here q number Of recent acquisitions
that add immeasurably to the import
ance of his remarkable collection Of
Old World masters. In addition to the
notable assortment Of Raphaels, Rem
brandts, Rubens and masterpieces Of
other great painters, he has secured
within recent weeks the famed Drey-
fuss collection of Italian Renaissance
sculptures in Paris. He also bought
recently the Clarke collection of his
torical American portraits.
Actual Work Indefinite.
Art connoisseurs and Mellon bim-
self are reluctant to place a monetary
value on the entire collection, but it is
known that five Of the Hermitage COL
lection paintings which Mellon pur-
chased in Russia IN 1880 him s3,-
24l,250-considered by experts a bar
gain price. This became known when
Mellon sought to obtain tax reductions
for the amount paid for these paint
1ngs.
The collection, prior to the recent
acquisitions. has been roughly esti-
mated as worth from -s50.000,00 to
100000, 900, The works are held BY
the Mellon Educational and Charitable
Trust, organized by the Pittsburgh mill
lionaire to take custody Of the collec-
ton pending acceptance by the Gov
eminent.
A letter containing the formal offer
and outlining conditions under which
the gift was made was presented per-
sonally to President Roosevelt by the
former cabinet officer last Thursday.
It stipulated.
/. That the gallery should not bear
Melons name, but should be called
the National Gallery Of Art or some
similar name identifying it as a Fed
eral institution.
2. That it should be erected from
designs being dAewn by John Russell
Pope, noted New York museum archi-
tect, subject to approval of the Fine
Arts Commission, the cost to be borne
by Mellon.
Location Specified.
;. That the building should be
constructed on the south side of Con-
stitution avenue, between Seventh and
Fourth streets, on a site that should
extend from Seventh street to Third
street and from Constitution avenue
to Independence avenue.
4. That the regents Of the Smith
sonian Institution be authorized to
take over the building and its collec-
tion on completion of the project.
S. That Congress provide funds an
nually for the upkeep Of the gallery
and for other administrative expenses
salaries Of a director and his
immediate of1cial staff, who will be
paid from q Mellon endowment fund.
s. That self-perpetuating board Of
nine trustees be created-five to be
named by Mellon with approval of
the smithsonian Institution and the
others to be ex-of1cio oficers-to
manage the gallery.
Z. That the board of trustees be
(See MELLON, Page A-3)