American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History. Hall of Primates.; Rodents; Monkeys, Apes and Primitive Man; Primate Hall; Monkeys, Apes, Rodents, Bats; Hall of Primates; Primates Hall; Apes, Monkey, Bats, Rodents; Monkey, Apes, Rodents and Bats; Monkey, Apes and Bats; Man and Apes; Monkeys and Apes; Primates; Biology of Primates; Hall of the Biology of Primates
birth: 1904
death: present
Permanent exhibition. Opened approximately 1904. Located on Floor 3, Section 2. The Hall of Primates at the American Museum of Natural History explores the mammalian order that includes apes, monkeys, and humans. Exhibits shown in the first iteration of this hall may have existed as early as 1878 when mammals were exhibited on the lower story of the Museum. The hall has gone through three renovations: 1916-1919, 1927-1932, and 1960-1964 (1, 1932 p. 62; 1964-1965 p. 4; 1879 p. [0]).
Circa 1911-1913, the Hall of Primates featured models and skeletons of orangutans, monkeys, gorillas, and a chimpanzee named "Mr. Crowley". In addition to primates, the hall displayed rodents, including bats, mice, and squirrels, and a model of a North Atlantic right whale was suspended from the ceiling (2,1911 p. 55; 1913. 64). Other exhibits were temporarily displayed in the hall, including small groups from the local bird collection before they moved to their own space (1, 1913 p. 36).
The hall was rearranged around 1916-1919, with the additions of an African red monkey, spider monkeys, howling monkey, lemurs, and an exhibit of the Systematic Series of Primates from man to lemurs arranged in wall cases around the room (2, 1918 p. 67). The orangutan group, then thirty-five years old, was rearranged in 1919 (1, 1919 p. 89). In 1936, gorillas collected and mounted by Carl Akeley were temporarily exhibited outside the Hall of Primates (2, 1931 p. 77) while awaiting completion of a habitat group within the Hall of African Mammals.
According to the 1932 Annual Report, the central section of the hall had been closed to the general public, but finally reopened in 1932 after many years of rearrangement (1, 1932, p. 62), and it was rearranged again in 1941. Later, the hall was further renovated as part of the ten-year exhibition expansion program to create and update halls and the Hall of Primates reopened in June 1964, with a presentation still seen today in 2017. (1, 1964-1965 p. 4). Divided into families, the hall features skeletons, mounted specimens, and artwork of primates that demonstrates relationships and the unique characteristics among primate species. The hall also features the Family Tree of Primates, which includes humans (3; 4, 1967).
Additional location information: South Pavillion section is indicated in the AMNH General Guides from 1931-1936.