[23] The Field Museum of Natural History, established in 1894, at the close of the World’s Columbian Exposition, was made possible by the gift of one million dollars by Marshall Field, who at his death in 1906 bequeathed a further eight million dollars, one-half for the erection of a building, and one-half for endowment. Another half million has been contributed by various individuals; and to the $25,000 annual income aside from the endowment, about $100,000 for maintenance will be raised annually by taxation. On the collections representing anthropology, botany, geology, and zoölogy, over two million dollars has been expended, and the institution (now occupying temporary quarters in Jackson Park) has a staff of directors and curators, a library of 50,000 titles, a well equipped publication bureau, and other appropriate accessories. By a contract between the South Park Commissioners and the trustees of the Field Museum, dated January 31, 1907, the site in Grant Park was set aside for the new building. [24] The Crerar Library had its foundation in the bequest made by the late John Crerar, a resident of Chicago from 1862 until his death in 1894. The endowment fund is upwards of $3,400,000. The new building will have accommodations for a million volumes, and provisions will be made for extensions when necessary. [25] The collections of the Art Institute now give the galleries a rank among the first three or four in the country. The present building was opened in 1893. [26] While Congress Street is the ideal location for the grand axis, the development of one of the parallel streets and a corresponding change in the site of the Field Museum and of the civic center might be resorted to, if obstacles to the use of Congress Street arise which shall seem insuperable. [Illustration: CXLI. VIEW EASTWARD TO LAKE MICHIGAN. COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY COMMERCIAL CLUB OF CHICAGO] CHAPTER VIII THE PLAN OF CHICAGO: THE RESULT OF SYSTEMATIC STUDY: THE COST INVOLVED IN CARRYING OUT THE WORK: THE PEOPLE ARE FINANCIALLY ABLE TO REALIZE THE PLAN: THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED: HOW THE COST MAY BE DIVIDED: THE FINAL RESULT. The plan of Chicago as presented in illustration and text is the result of a systematic and comprehensive study, carried on during a period of thirty months, with the sole purpose of mapping out an ideal project for the physical development of this city. Perfection of detail is not claimed, but the design as a whole is placed before the public in the confident belief that it points the way to realize civic conditions of unusual economy, convenience, and beauty.