Thread by @InteriorMuseum

#OnThisDate in 1936, a public ceremony was held for laying the cornerstone of @Interior's current headquarters building (Federal Public Works Project No. 4).

(Thread 1/5) #MuseumMoment #MuseumFromHome #VirtualVisit #OTD

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Various dignitaries were in attendance, including President Franklin Roosevelt, architect Waddy Wood, Interior Secretary Harold Ickes (left), and chair of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission Frederic A. Delano (right).

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In his prepared remarks, Secretary Ickes said, "This new building represents much more to us than merely better and more desirable office space; . . . it is to us a symbol of a new day." (3/5)

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FDR: "As I view this serviceable new structure I like to think of it as symbolical of the Nation's vast resources, & this stone that I am about to lay as the cornerstone of a conservation policy that will guarantee to future Americans the richness of their heritage."

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The cornerstone was laid with the same trowel President George Washington used when placing the U.S. Capitol's cornerstone in 1793. @Interior's cornerstone includes a small time capsule containing mementos of 1936 and documents related to agency history.

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