Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

From the time of his conversation with Eisenhart the Professor
was constantly pressing the Director to settle on one of the large estates
in Princeton as a site for the Institute. Flexner repeatedly put this off
with the plea that the Institute had no money for such an extravagance.
Nevertheless, it is eleal that both men favored the Olden Farm as the best
possible purchase becsuse it lay just to the west ef t k University's
western boundary, and was connected with it by some vacant lots bordering
on the Springdale Golf ClubQs course. By the early spring of 1934, the
Director, confident that the Institute .bed demonstrated a real mezsure of
success, and that the Founders recognized this 2nd would be prepared to
increase their gifts to endowment as they had given promise of dofng,
pressed ardently for an opportunity to develop the School of Economics
and Politics, and let the issue of a site cane to the attention of Hr.
Bamberger at the same ti-. This he accolrrplished by inviting Professor
- .
Yeblen to present: in writing his reasons fox urging the imedfate purchase
of a site, and the nature of it. Fleltner acknowledged the letter with
real appreciat Ion:
Thank you far your uise, thoughtful, and very clear Letter
of April 12th...I cen see that it will give the Cmdttee
on Buildings and Grounds smthing very substantial t o medi-
tete upon. I have the feeling that whet might have looked
like dilatory procedure has really allowed our minds t o work
,,.on what will becone in the course of time a question of
overwh~lmfng importance. I shall bring this letter to the
attention of the Conmitree at the earliest posstble opportu-
nity .14
Two weeks later Professor Veblen became the first faculty Trustee. fle
was promptly appointed t o the Coaarittee an Buildings and Grounds, fonnerlp
the Camnittee on Site.
fn his memorandum the Professor said that the Institute should