Evening star., 1947-06-09
Mellon Trustees
Gifts 10 Gallery
Total II Million
S32,4l6,459 Due
To Be Distributed
I'm Next IS Years

The National Gallery of Art here
has received contributions valued at
more than ST. ,000,0 from the A.
w. Mellon educational and Charit-
able Trust Suring the period from
December 80, 1880, to December 81,
ls4S, trustees report revealed
todsv.
Tt trustees also announced the
Trtk plans to distribute its remain
ing assets, which had book value
at the end of 1916 of $50, ,416,4 ,459 with
a still higher market value. within
the next Is years.
Trustees Of the fund are Paul
Mellon and Mrs. Ailsa M. Bruce,
son and daughter of Andrew w.
Mellon, and Donald d. Shepard, OF
716 jackson place NV, who was
associated with the late Secretary OF
the Treasury for many years.
The announcement stated the
funds will be spent on major prof.
ect or projects in the Pittsburgh
area. because ."the major interest
of the donor had always been in th2
section.
Report Is Released.
1t is also noted that distribution
of the fund assets, both principal
and income, had been decided on by
the trustees as Mr.. Mellon had
questioned the wisdom Of leaving
substantial foundation funds in per
petuity."
The trustees report covered the
trusts activities for the 15-year
per ending December 81, 1945.
The trust was established by Mr..
Mellon on December 80, 1880, for
"such religious, charitable, scientific
and educational purposes as are IN
furtherance Of the public welfare.
The grand total of the trust con-
tributions through 1916 was $78,-
270,286.
Gifts to Washington.
The s71 100000 given to the Ma
tional Gallery of Art was donated
as follows: The building hoUs-
ing the gallery, dedicated in 1e4l
and accepted by President Roose-
welt as gift to the Nation, cost
$16.o57,433. Mr. Melons gift OF his
art collections were valued by con-
gressional committees at $50 0,0O0, 600.
In 1912 the, trust established an en-
dowment fund of s5,coo,000 for the
gallery.
In giving his art collections, Mr.
Mellon expressed the hope other
donors would contribute to Ghe Ma
tional Gallery of Art. This hope
has been realized Though the years
with gifts of paintings, sculpture.
prints, drawings and decorative art
from many collectors, among them
being Samuel II. Kress, Joseph E.
Widener, Chester Dale and Lessing
j. Rosenwald The gallery now
houses more than $4,000 works OF
art. .,--'
One stipulation explicitly made
by Mr.. Mellon was that the gallery
should not bear his name as he
wanted a name "as may appropri-
ateiy identity it as gallery of art
of the National Government.
Public Pays For Operation.
Public funds are provided for the
administrative expenses and costs
of operation Of the gallery, as well
as for the protection and care OF
the works of art. More than 2,00o,-
900 persons visit the gallery annu-
ally.
Architect of the building was
John Russell Pope, who died shortly
after the excavation work began in
June, 1887. The building was COM
pleted in December, 1910, by Mr..
Pope's associates, Otto r. Eggers
and Daniel Paul Higgins, of New
York. Trustees directing the project
at the time were Paul Mellon, MI. |
Shepard and David K E. Bruce.
Though the National Gallery of
Art was the major project OF the
trust in Washington, it gave ma1iy
grants to other Washington institu-
tions, the report noted. Among these
were $4,000 to the Community
Chest and $4,000 recently to the
George Washington University Hos
pital.
Other Grants Made.
Grants also have been given toI
the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Central
Union Mission, National Symphony
Orchestra and the Washington
Home for Foundlings, among con-
tributions to other District organi-
cations and institutions The trust
has also contributed to the Boys
Clubs here, in Pittsburgh and New
York.
Contributions to the Mellon 1nstl- |
tute of Industrial Research in Pitts |
burgh, organized by Mr.. Mellon and
his brother, Richard B. Mellon, in
1918 as a nonprofit corporation for
research In the pure and applied
natural sciences. have also been
made by the trust. In 1943 1t set
aside securities for the inStitutel
which realized S1,154,520. This
amount was added to the institutes
endowment fund in l946.
Numerous other contributions
have been made by the trust, the
repor noted These included $780,
900 to the American Red Cross War
Fund from 1910 to 1945 and S268, 500
exclusively for the use of the United
Service Organizations and other
war agencies.
Mr.. Mellon was born March "a,
1855, at Pittsburgh. He was the
son of Judge Thomas Mellon, who
founded the private banking house
of T. Mellon e. Sons in 1870. This
later became the Mellon National
port Graduate of Western IJni-
versity of Pennsylvania {now the
University of Pittsburgh, MIR. Mel
lon served as Secretary OF the
Treasury in the administrations OF
Presidents Harding, Coolidge and
Hoover. He also served as United
States Ambassador to the Court of
st. James in the latter part of
President Hoover's administration.
He died August 26, 1887.