“Ours is unlike any other [museum] for under one roof it combines the history and technology of a Nation. In a country such as ours we think these are inseparable because of the tremendous influence science has had on our way of life and development.”
—Frank A. Taylor, MHT Founding Director, 1962
Frank Taylor, First Director
Frank Taylor, MHT’s founding director, had his hand in every aspect of the building’s creation. He came to the Smithsonian in 1922 as an apprentice in Carl Mitman’s Mechanical Technology department. After World War II, with backing from Smithsonian Secretary Leonard Carmichael, Taylor revived Mitman’s dream of a new museum.
Taylor and Carmichael’s initial idea was to establish a museum of engineering and industry. To expand support for their plans, they later included a history department to appeal to the political history curators at A&I.
Invoking world’s fairs, Taylor promoted MHT as a “permanent exposition that commemorates our heritage of freedom and highlights the basic elements of our way of life.” At the height of the Cold War, his patriotic language helped sell MHT to Congressional funders.
Frank Taylor monitors construction on the building’s fifth floor terrace (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives).
Frank Taylor working on clockwork mechanism (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives).
