One of the conditions for the donation, as stipulated in Rockefeller’s letter was that the building be completed by January 1931. But already from the beginning, it was clear that construction would be delayed for several reasons: (1) rescue excavations were required before construction could begin; (2) security threats and political unrest, beginning in 1929; (3) difficulty in obtaining building stone from the quarries on the Jericho Road.
The cornerstone was laid on 19 June 1930. The British High Commissioner Chancellor, Director of Antiquities Richmond and representative British, Jewish and Arab officials attended the ceremony. A contractor from Alexandria was responsible for construction.
After five years, the Department of Antiquities moved into its new quarters on 20 May 1935 and began planning the museum exhibit. The official opening date was set for 11 January 1938 but had to be postponed due to the murder of Archaeologist J.L. Starkey by Arabs in the Hebron Hills on his way from the Lachish excavations to the opening ceremony. The ceremony took place on January 13 with the British High Commissioner in attendance. Two major figures were absent from the ceremony – John D. Rockefeller and Austen St. Barbe Harrison. Rockefeller never saw the building that bore his name.
Additional Articles ...