Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States of America. The National Gallery of Art was created on March 17, 1937, by a joint resolution of Congress accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. Designed by John Russell Pope, the West Building was made possible by construction funds provided by the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust. In this speech, recorded on March 17, 1941, during evening ceremonies attended by 8,822 people, President Roosevelt accepts the completed West Building of the Gallery and the art collection of Andrew W. Mellon on behalf of the people of the United States.