Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/496

 434 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO At the June, 1912, Convocation President Judson announced the purpose of the Trustees to begin within two years th3 erection of four new buildings, and expressed the greatest confidence that donors would be found to enable the University to realize this purpose. It so happened that a few weeks later brought Julius Rosenwald, a member of the Board of Trustees, to the fiftieth anniversary of his birth. Mr. Rosenwald took the very unusual method of celebrating his anniversary by giving away nearly three-quarters of a million dollars, distributing this great sum among a number of causes of beneficence that interested him. His letter to the Trustees was dated August 12, 1912. It recited the "pressing building requirements of the University," and to assist in meeting them said: On this my fiftieth birthday I take great pleasure in offering you the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The very generous provisions of Mr. Rosenwald's proffer not only opened the way for the erection of the contemplated build- ings, but indicated that he supposed that his contribution would be applied in part to the cost of each of them and not to the con- struction of a single building to bear his name. As it turned out, each of the three new halls was substantially provided for by a single donor, and Mr. Rosenwald's contribution went into one building only. Thus happily was the problem solved of providing a building for Geology and Geography. These departments had done their work through many years, as years are counted in a new institution, in the Walker Museum. As the Museum material increased and the departments grew, the difficulties of conducting these important departments in a com- paratively small building intended for other uses and filled with museum material multiplied. The prospect of a new hall for their departments was, therefore, most gratifying to Professors Chamber- lin and Salisbury. They had given much study to the plans of a possible building. The results of these years of study were now given to the architects, Messrs. Holabird & Roche. Two locations were considered and plans prepared for each location. One plan was for a building on University Avenue, just south of Fifty-eighth