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[[underline]] Status Reports [[/underline]]

[[underline]]Cooper-Hewitt Museum [[/underline]]

The Secretary reported that substantial progress has been made in recent months toward the goal of opening the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in its renovated Carnegie Mansion in New York City. The private renovation fund raising effort was helped significantly by a challenge grant of $150,000 from the Carnegie Corporation. A matching $150,000 has now been raised by the Institution and the resulting total of $300,000 in new funds will cover the final renovation activities necessary to open the Mansion to the public. To date, over $2 million has been raised privately in support of the renovation project.

The initial exhibition to be held at the Museum has been financed by a $400,000 grant from S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. (Johnson Wax). Recently, the company agreed to make an additional $180,000 available permitting construction and installation of the full extent of the opening exhibition as conceived by Hans Hollein, an Austrian designer of considerable reputation. Sections of the exhibition, under Mr. Hollein's direction, have been prepared by other foreign designers, fulfilling the wishes of the Museum and intention of the Johnson Wax contract to have a truly international design show.

Grand opening of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum is planned for October 7, 1976.

Consonant with the financial self-help measures heretofore employed by the Museum to minimize reliance on Federally appropriated