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New Dinosaur Hall Object Of $35M Smithsonian Donation

The proposed new dinosaur hall could be the new home of the Smithsonian's prehistoric favorites, including the Allosaurus, pictured.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metalchris/1101135071/
The proposed new dinosaur hall could be the new home of the Smithsonian's prehistoric favorites, including the Allosaurus, pictured.

Energy businessman and political donor David H. Koch is donating a record $35 million to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History to build a new dinosaur hall on the National Mall.

The Smithsonian is announcing the gift Thursday from David Koch, the executive vice president of Koch Industries Inc. of Wichita, Kan, according to the Associated Press. It is the single largest gift in the museum's 102-year history. The Smithsonian Board of Regents voted Monday to name the new dinosaur hall in Koch's honor.

Koch, an engineer, is a billionaire who lives in New York City. He was the Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate in 1980 and has been a major donor to conservative political causes.

Koch gave the Smithsonian $15 million in 2009 to build a new exhibit hall exploring human evolution over 6 million years.

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