This museum was built with a fund of two million dollars granted in 1927 by John D. Rockefeller. It houses important antiquities of ancient Israel and has a library of archaeology and ancient history of the Middle East. In addition to exhibition space there are study galleries, offices, an auditorium, a library, workrooms, a photographic studio, laboratories and storage rooms.
The museum, standing in about 10 acres of land, is now administered by the Israel Museum.