The Rockefeller Museum stands at 27 Sultan Suleiman Street, next to Herod's Gate in Jerusalem. The British architect Austen Harrison, chief architect of the Mandatory Department of Public Works, designed it. John D. Rockefeller Jr. funded it, agreeing to give two million dollars. The article's lead says the gift was for Cairo, but its body says Jerusalem. The article names no style, but says the building blends Western and Eastern elements, in white limestone.
The foundation stone was laid on June 19, 1930, and construction was delayed when fifth-century B.C. tombs were found on the site. It opened on January 13, 1938. Jordan nationalized it in 1966, and Israeli paratroopers captured it in the 1967 war, using its hexagonal tower as a lookout.
Eric Gill carved a gargoyle fountain in the inner courtyard in 1934. The Israel Museum now manages the museum, and the Israel Antiquities Authority has its head office there.
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