Overview of the Collection
Smithsonian Institution Archives,
Washington, D.C.,
osiaref@si.edu
United States National Museum. Administrative Assistant
SI Records
National Museum Building Construction Records
1902-1909, 1917-1919, 1928-1929
0.5 cu. ft. (1 document box) (1 folder oversize materials)
Record Unit 80
English
Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 80, United States National Museum. Administrative Assistant, National Museum Building Construction Records
Historical Note
In 1903 Congress authorized the Board of Regents to begin a new museum building, construction to be under the direction of Bernard R. Green, Superintendent of Buildings
and Grounds of the Library of Congress. Construction began in June 1904 and ended in 1911. Richard Rathbun, Assistant Secretary, spent much of his time from 1901 to 1911 planning
and supervising construction of the new building, including extensive consultation with foreign and domestic museum experts.
Descriptive Entry
These records, together with record units 79, 81, and 187 contain full documentation of construction of the 1911 National Museum Building, from internal planning and
contracts to construction details and costs. Rathbun prepared a history of the museum construction, which was published as A Descriptive Account of the Building Recently Erected
for the Departments of Natural History of the United States National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 80, Washington, 1913.
Index Terms
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Name
Rathbun, Richard, 1852-1918
Green, Bernard R. (Bernard Richardson), 1843-1914
United States National Museum
United States. Bureau of War Risk Insurance
Library of Congress. Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds
National Museum of Natural History (U.S.)
Subject
Smithsonian buildings
Architectural design
Buildings -- Maintenance
Museum buildings
Buildings -- Repair and reconstruction
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Manuscripts
Box 1
Box 1 of 1
Folders 1-2 Correspondence, mostly copies, regarding construction of the museum (1902-1909)
Box 1 of 1
Folders 3-6 Correspondence 1917-1919 regarding the use of Museum of Natural History (MNH) building by Bureau of War Risk Insurance
Box 1 of 1
Folder 7 Correspondence 1928-1929 regarding repair of dome of MNH building
Oversize
Oversize
Architectural Drawings