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

Architecture for Dinosaurs: The Building of the American Museum of Natural History (Exhibition)
birth: 1987 August 6
death: 1987 December 13
Exhibition. Opened August 6, 1987 and closed December 13, 1987. Located on Floor 2 in the Akeley Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. Architecture for Dinosaurs: The Building of the American Museum of Natural History, an Arthur Ross Exhibit of the Month, featured hand-colored renderings of facades, photographs, and original architectural plans that documented the growth of the American Museum of Natural History.
Summary
Architecture for Dinosaurs: The Building of the American Museum of Natural History, an Arthur Ross Exhibit of the Month, featured hand-colored renderings of facades, photographs, and original architectural plans that documented the growth of the American Museum of Natural History. The material came primarily from the Museum Library and other departmental offices of the Museum (1, p. 1). The exhibition was a result of an ongoing long-term project of the Library and the Plant Manager's Office to restore and catalog the Museum's collection of historically architectural valuable plans. (2, p. 62).
Highlights (1, p. 1-2):
*A letter from Museum founder Albert S. Bickmore to President Ulysses S. Grant reminding Grant of his commitment to preside over the laying of the Museum's cornerstone in 1874
*Photographs showing the nearly-completed elevated railroad on Columbus Avenue in New York City
*Early photographs of the Museum's exterior
*Blueprints and serial photographs documenting the construction of the Hayden Planetarium
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.