Well-known for bringing the Libbey Glass Company to Toledo in 1888, Edward Drummond Libbey was also the first president of the Toledo Museum of Art.

Concerned about the continuing education of his present and future workers, Libbey and his wife gathered together men and women who signed the articles of incorporation for the Toledo Museum in 1901. The museum started off in rented rooms at the Gardner Building and the grounds now cover approximately 32 acres.