Allen Steinheim Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Allen Steinheim Museum
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Alfred University's Steinheim Building, August 2007
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Alfred University Campus, Alfred, New York |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1876-1880 |
| Architect | Allen, Jonathan |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001163 |
| Added to NRHP | June 04, 1973 |
The Allen Steinheim Museum is a historic building located on the campus of Alfred University in Alfred, New York. It's in Allegany County, New York. This unique stone building was once a museum. It looks a bit like a castle with its special "crenellated" top.
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A Building Made of Rocks and Wood
The Allen Steinheim Museum was built between 1876 and 1880. It was created to hold the amazing collections of Jonathan Allen. He was the second president of Alfred University. His collections included minerals, rocks, natural items, and things made by people.
The idea for the building came from Professor Ida Kenyon. She wanted a house that looked like the castles in Germany. What makes the building truly special is how it was built. Over 8,000 different rock samples were used to form its walls! Inside, the framework was made from 700 samples of local and foreign wood.
When it was a museum in the 1930s, it was considered very old. It was thought to be the second oldest college museum in the United States. The museum displayed many interesting things. These included rare shells, mounted birds and animals, and Native American tools. There were also old farming tools, early American pottery, and beautiful glass art.
The building stopped being a museum in the early 1950s. After that, it was used for classrooms. Over time, it started to fall apart.
A New Purpose
In 1995, the Steinheim building was renovated. This means it was repaired and updated. Then, in 1997, it was officially rededicated. The word "Steinheim" is German for "stone house."
Today, the building is no longer a museum. Instead, it houses the Robert R. McComsey Career Development Center. This center helps students at Alfred University with their career plans.
Art Inspired by the Past
In 2008, an artist named Lenka Clayton created several projects. She wanted to draw attention to the museum's missing collections. One project was called "7,000 Stones." For this, she collected a pile of stones. Each stone was numbered as if it were part of a collection. Then, they were discarded.
Another project was "Found Instructions 1." She found an old list of the museum's collections. This list showed how the collection was disappearing. She used this list to create a modern art display.
Her third project was "Amnesty for the Museum." She asked people to return any missing items from the museum's old collection. She wanted to photograph these items where they were now.
Historic Recognition
The Allen Steinheim Museum is an important building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This means it is recognized as a significant historical site.
