![National Museum of the American Indian, 2004, by Lautman, Robert, 2004, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2010-0489 and SIA2010-0490. National Museum of the American Indian, 2004](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2010-0489/full/full/0/default.jpg)
![Participants in the NMAI Parade, by Tinsley, Jeffrey Wayne 1947-2017, 1996, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, 96-25358-35 or 96-25358.35. Participants in the NMAI Parade](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-96-25358-35/full/full/0/default.jpg)
![George Gustav Heye Center in the Alexander Hamilton Customs House, by Gumpel, Roy, c. 1994, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2011-1526 and NMAI_95-288. George Gustav Heye Center in the Alexander Hamilton Customs House](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2011-1526/full/full/0/default.jpg)
![Aerial View of NMAI Construction from the South, by Tinsley, Jeffrey Wayne 1947-2017, June 30, 2002, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, 2002-19405. Aerial View of NMAI Construction from the South](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-2002-19405_scn/full/full/0/default.jpg)
In 1896, George Gustav Heye (1874–1957), a mining engineer, began collecting Native American artifacts while working in Arizona. Soon an avid collector, Heye founded the Museum of the American Indian in New York City in 1916, and it opened to the public in 1922 at Audubon Terrace. He also established a research branch in the Bronx, where collections were available for research and study. After Heye’s death, the Museum of the American Indian fell on hard times financially, and several proposals were pursued for maintaining the collection, including transfer to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and a purchase by businessman H. Ross Perrot. However, these never came to fruition.
![Singers at George Gustav Heye Center Opening, by Gumpel, Roy, October 30, 1994, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2011-1532 and 95-287. Singers at George Gustav Heye Center Opening](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2011-1532/full/180,/0/default.jpg)
![Model of National Museum of the American Indian Cultural Resources Center, by Tinsley, Jeffrey Wayne 1947-2017, 1995, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2011-1531 and 95-1147-22. Model of National Museum of the American Indian Cultural Resources Center](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2011-1531/full/180,/0/default.jpg)
![Opening Day Procession for NMAI, by Long, Eric, September 21, 2004, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, 2006-6080. Opening Day Procession for NMAI](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-2006-6080/full/180,/0/default.jpg)
![National Museum of the American Indian, by Hansen, Carl C, September 21, 2004, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, 2004-53062. National Museum of the American Indian](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-2004-53062_wk/full/180,/0/default.jpg)
Further Exploration
- Chronology of the National Museum of the American Indian
- Bibliography of the National Museum of the American Indian
- Historic Images of the National Museum of the American Indian
Related Collections
- National Museum of the American Indian Records from the Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Historic Image Highlights of the National Museum of the American Indian
- Additional Collections and Records of the National Museum of the American Indian from across the Smithsonian
Other Resources
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