NYC - AMNH: Milstein Hall of Ocean Life
The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life first opened on the first floor of the American Museum of Natural History in 1933. In 1969, the two-floor hall was renovated and given its centerpiece--a 94-foot-long model of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling. The upper level of the hall describes the biology of fishes and their relationships to their surrounding waters and other animals. In its lower level, the hall houses dioramas of additional forms of life, particularly mammalian, that inhabit the seas. In 2003, the Museum restored and renovated the hall featuring high-definition video projections, interactive computer stations, hands-on models, 14 renovated classic dioramas, and eight new ocean ecosystem displays. The centerpiece of the Hall remained the 94-foot model of a blue whale--now resculpted and repainted to more accurately reflect the look of blue whales at sea.
In 1910, American Museum of Natural History President Henry F. Osborn proposed the construction of a large building in the Museum's southeast courtyard to house a new Hall of Ocean Life in which "models and skeletons of whales" would be exhibited. This proposal to build in the courtyard marked a major reappraisal of the Museum's original architectural plan. Calvert Vaux, a prolific New York architect who, along with Frederick Law Olmsted, helped create the Greensward plan for Central Park, had designed the Museum complex to include four open courtyards in order to maximize the amount of natural light entering the surrounding buildings. But by the early 20th Century, natural light in exhibition spaces was no longer necessary or even desirable since galleries were now lit by electricity and sunlight contributed to the deterioration of many natural objects. Thus, the Museum began a process of building in all four proposed courtyards.
Osborn and the Museum's trustees regarded this project as the first step toward the completion of the entire southern half of the Museum in time for its fiftieth anniversary in 1919. However, a municipal financial crisis in 1913 brought into question the city's ability to pay for new buildings. Then the outbreak of World War I in 1914 compelled the trustees to stop the planning process altogether. By 1915 the Museum was acquiring new objects so rapidly that the construction of the southeast wing was becoming an urgent matter. Finally, in 1921 the city agreed to renew funding for the southeast wing and court and construction began in October, 1922. The original exhibition space, including its expansive skylights, was designed by Trowbridge & Livingston in a style inspired by Victorian exposition halls. The new building was completed 2 years later on October 28, 1924.
From 1924 to 1933, progress was made in the completion of many of the Hall of Ocean Life's marine life dioramas. By 1927, various shell and mollusk collections had been installed on the upper level of the Hall for visitors to view on a limited basis. However, the Hall was not completely opened to the public until May 2, 1933. By this time, most of the marine group dioramas were in place and various whale skeletons and models had been suspended from the ceiling. The original hall reflected the 19th-century concept that nature existed to serve humanity, and many of the early exhibits, such as artist John Prentice Benson's murals of American sperm whaling that ornamented the Hall, served to emphasize this viewpoint. Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, work continued on finishing the dioramas and updating older groups with newer specimens. During this time, various exhibitions and objects were also featured in the Hall, including Charles Lindbergh's marine plane "Tingmissartoq" and the bathysphere in which William Beebe achieved a record depth of 3,028 ft. in 1934.
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The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal that ever lived. An adult can grow nearly as long as three school buses and weigh over 400,000 pounds—as much as 24 African elephants. Being big has its advantages. Large whales are safe from most predators and their massive bodies retain heat well—a bonus when in chilly ocean waters. But enormous creatures also have to eat enormous quantities. Amazingly, the blue whale maintains its bulk on a diet of mostly shrimplike krill.
Twentieth century whalers decimated blue whale populations. They harvested over 350,000 individuals, leaving perhaps as few as 6,000 alive. Today, a reduced population may be the blue whale's biggest problem. Low population means low density—and less chance for potential mates to meet. It also means a smaller gene pool, which could produce less healthy offspring.
healthiest diet plan
2007-02-24 15:41:45
Orignal From: NYC - AMNH: Milstein Hall of Ocean Life
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