The Legation Building

The Museum building stands on and over the picturesque Rue d'Amerique inside the imposing walls of the old fortified Medina of Tangier. From the fourth floor terrace, there is a view of the harbor and Straits of Gibraltar, and, on a clear day, of Gibraltar and the Spanish towns of Allegories and Tarifa. It is a charming structure of architectural and historical significance. A gift to the U.S. in 1821 from Moroccan Sultan Moulay Suliman, it is the first piece of property acquired abroad by the U.S. government. The original structure, a stone building of the 18th century, was incorporated into an enlarged complex surrounding an attractive courtyard. During the first half of the 19th century a reception room was constructed over the narrow Rue d'Amerique. After 1891 a further expansion took place with the construction of a 3-story building along the same street and connected to the reception area.

In the 1920s two or more pieces of property were acquired across the street from the original structure, and an ambitious program of construction and restoration then took place under Consul General (and later Minister) Maxwell Blake. The most significant of Blake's additions was a Moorish pavilion overlooking a new courtyard in which antique doors, ceilings, and tiles from Fez were used. Elsewhere in the building, Blake added handsome 18th century lanterns, iron grillwork, and marble mantle pieces. When Blake had completed his work, the Legation had grown into an imposing edifice of more than 40 rooms. The noted American architectural historian, Charles Petersen, who carried out a detailed study of the Old American Legation in 1975, concluded that the complex has considerable architectural interest and merit.

Today thanks to the museum's supporters, all of this is being preserved and even expanded. During the summer of 1999 an addition was made to the museum, a rooftop room that offers visitors a 360 degree view of Tangier with stunning views of the old medina, the port, the Straits of Gibraltar, the new town, and the Rif Mountains. "The Minzah Room" has an outdoor terrace and is furnished in a traditional Moroccan style. It can accommodate more than 30 guests and is an ideal setting for receptions and even dinners.

THE MUSEUM ART COLLECTION

The Museum's diverse collection of 17th to 20th century art retraces Tangier's historical function as a conduit between Europe and North Africa. The two main components are:

1) The Angus Collection, donated by Donald Angus, a former resident of Tangier in the 1960s and 1970s. It consists of several hundred prints, paintings, and drawings from Germany, Holland, England, Italy, France, Spain, and Malta, dating from 1573 to 1913 depicting the cities of Tangier and Gibraltar, historical events, and portraits; and,

2) The McBey Collection, donated by Marguerite McBey, the widow of the Scottish engraver and painter, James McBey. This collection, covering the period from 1901 to 1998 comprises 70 works by more than forty artists from 11 countries in a variety of media. Artists in the McBey collection include Oskar Kokoschka, Herbert Bayer, and James McBey. The collection also contains a water color by Emily Sargeant, the sister of John Singer Sargeant, and one of the Casbah by noted English photographer and set designer, Cecil Beaton.

Other items in the Museum's collection include 37 antique maps, historical photographs, period furniture, and Morocco rugs.

THE MUSEUM RESEARCH LIBRARY

The library is located in a separate 3-story building of 18th century origin now attached to the Museum. With its central atrium, exposed wood-timbered ceilings, and Moroccan decor, the Research Library is one of the most traditional sections of the Museum. Of special note is the Joseph Verner Reed Library, a handsome set of books, many leather bound, which he collected while serving as ambassador to Morocco in the 1980s and later donated to the Museum. The reading room on the second floor designed around a large oil painting by Hassan Glaoui (also a gift of Ambassador Reed), provides an attractive environment for scholars doing research on Morocco.

Return to the main page

Except as noted, the photographs in this site are of items in the collection of the Tangier American Legation Museum and were taken by Robbie Lacomb-Roach, Michael Roach, Thor H. Kuniholm or Michael Toler. All Rights Reserved.