Many Museums, Libraries, and other institutions of a public or semi-public character, contain numismatic collections; of these the largest in the world are those in the National Museums of England, France and Germany. It remains, however, for New York City to have the only building to be erected and used for the sole purpose of a Numismatic Museum. This building is now completed; it has been erected by The American Numismatic Society, and in it will be displayed the extensive collections of coins and medals which have been accumulated by that Society during the half century of its existence.

It is located in that section of Washington Heights known as Audubon Park, and adjoins the beautiful building of The Hispanic Society of America; as it is but little over a block away from the subway station at One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Street and Broadway, it is easy of access from other parts of the city.

As far back as 1891, the question of owning its home was considered by the Society. At the annual meeting of that year, Vice-President Andrew C. Zabriske presented a Resolution providing for the appointment of a committee to undertake the raising of a fund to be used for the purchase of premises for the use and occupancy of the Society. This Resolution was adopted, and liberal subscriptions, conditioned upon raising a certain amount of money, were made by Mr. Zabriske, President Parish, and other members; but as the required amount of money was not secured, the subscriptions lapsed and the project was abandoned.

Though the advantages of having its own building were informally discussed among its members from time to time, no action of any kind looking toward this object was taken until the second of January, 1906, when President Archer M. Huntington, at a meeting of the Executive Committee, offered to present to the Society a plot of ground on condition that a building for its use be erected thereon. This offer was accepted by a unanimous vote of the Committee, and two days later a deed for the property was delivered to the Society.

In his address at the annual meeting, January 15, 1906, President Huntington spoke of the proposed building as follows:

"The question arises at once: What have we in our minds, as a scientific body, for the future? We have now come to the point where a very important change is about to take place, not in the organization itself, but rather in the position which it is to take before the world. We are on the point of discussing the construction of a building, and in so doing we are about to assume responsibilities which, possibly, some of the members have not considered.

"Up to the present time our work has been along simple lines. This has been, more or less, a collecting body of enthusiasts and semi-enthusiasts on the subject of Numismatics. We shall now, if the plan proposed, which we are to discuss to-night, be acceptable, assume a quite different attitude in relation to brother Societies in this city, and to the scientific world in general. We become, not only a collecting body, but an educational body. We throw open to the public the result of our labors in the past, and it is to be hoped that we will obtain from that public a response which will react in the strengthening and building up of the Society to such an extent that we may fairly count, in the near future, on representing one of the strong educational influences of this city.

"The site chosen for the new building is peculiarly advantageous. Standing on high ground, it overlooks the Hudson, and obtains a definite advantage from proximity to another Society, the open space surrounding the latter equally benefiting the position of both. There is to be considered the advantage from the close relation of two organizations having in some degree the same interests. The Hispanic Society of America has a large collection its own coins and medals, and a numismatic library bearing upon Spain, Portugal and South America, which would be immediately available to the members of the Society.

"There will also be the advantage of mutual collecting, which is most important. The Hispanic Society, collecting, as it does, along definite lines will more or less relieve our own from the necessity of buying such coins and medals as it already possesses, and the Numismatic Society can thus devote its funds and attention more particularly to those coins and medals covering a more general field, obtaining, with losing any independence of its own, the benefit of a neighboring collection"

The following Resolutions were presented and unanimously adopted:

Resolved: That the Society approves the suggestions, regarding a building for its occupancy, contained in President Huntington's address.

Resolved: That the President be authorized to appoint a Building Committee, to consist of the President, Treasurer, and five other members. Said Committee to solicit and receive subscriptions to the Society's building fund, to consider plans for said building, which plans must be approved by the Executive Committee before adoption, superintend the construction of the building, and report to the Society at each regular meeting.

Resolved: That the Executive Committee be given the power to authorize the proper officers of the Society to make all necessary contracts; and that the erection of the building may be commenced as soon as, in the judgment of the Executive Committee, the funds of the Society will warrant.

Messrs. Archer M. Huntington, Charles Pryer, Edward D. Adams, Richard Hoe Lawrence, J. Otis Woodward, Robert Hewitt and Alfred J. Blood were appointed as members of the Building Committee.

This committee organized by electing Mr. Huntington as Chairman, and promptly set to work on the plans for the building and raising the necessary funds. The Committee was later enlarged by the addition of Messrs. Mansfield L. Hillhouse and Bauman L. Belden. In November, 1906, Mr. Lawrence, finding himself unable to continue giving the necessary time to the work, resigned from the Committee, and Mr. William Poillon was appointed in his place.

The plans for the building were drawn by Mr. Charles P. Huntington, and the contract was awarded to Mr. John Clark Udall; the ground was broken on May 24th, 1906, and, except for a few weeks when the weather was too cold to prosecute the work with safety, the construction has gone on without interruption.

Standing on a high terrace, the front of the building, which faces One Hundred and Fifty-sixth street, is two stories high, while the rear, on One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Street, show four stories, the basement and sub-basement being entirely above the street.

On the main floor, the entrance, in the middle of the building, opens into a hallway which leads to the main assembly room. On the left of the hall is a reception or committee room, and on the right a similar room and the stairs leading to the second story. The main assembly room, which will be used for meetings of the Society, lectures and special exhibitions, is the full width and height of the building, and has a gallery on all four sides; back of this are the basement stairs and rooms for officers of the Society.

On the second floor, one large room across the front of the building will be used for the library; a similar room at the rear will hold the safes and cabinets containing coins and medals, and in the gallery will be exhibition cases for such portions of the collection as will be exposed to view.

The cost of the building is about fifty thousand dollars. The fund for its erection is being raised by subscription among the members and friends of the Society; so far there are about forty-five subscribers. While the entire amount has not as yet been subscribed, this has caused no delay in finishing and occupying the building, and the Society will hold its fiftieth annual meeting - on the 20th of January, 1908 - under its own roof.