History of Harvard Art Museums (Timeline)
1891 Gift given by Mrs. Elizabeth Fogg in memory of her deceased husband to build an art museum in his name. 1895 Opening of the Fogg Museum as a teaching facility for art scholars, curators and museum professionals. 1897 Professors George Bartlett, Kuno Francke, and Hugo K. Schilling publish the pamphlet, “The Need of a Germanic Museum at Harvard.” 1901 November 10—the birthday of Martin Luther and Friedrich Schiller—marks the dedication of the Germanic Museum in Rogers Gymnasium (pictured). Kuno Francke is named curator. At the time of the dedication, the Germanic Museum was the only museum in North America to be dedicated to the arts of Central and Northern Europe. 1910 Adolphus Busch donates $265,000 for the construction of a new building. A design is commissioned from German Bestelmeyer of Dresden, who also built the Reichsschulden-verwaltung building, Berlin (1921–23) and was a proponent of Nazi architecture. 1921 After delays due to W...