George Washington University, Corcoran School of the Arts & Design
George Washington University, Corcoran School of the Arts & Design
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Washington, D.C.
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The George Washington University
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Restoration and renovation of a historic Late 19th century building situated across The White House.
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Three-story historic building built in 1887. Entire project, 169,577 GSF
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Planning
Programming
Architectural Design
Historic Restoration
Interior Design
Public Involvement -
AIA Washington DC Chapter 2020 Design Award - Historic Preservation
2019 Craftsmanship Award - Mechanical: HVAC - Piping, Washington Building Congress
The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design transitioned into GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and the historic Corcoran Building was restored and renovated into a 21st century teaching and museum space for a variety of fine arts and design programs.
Established as an art school in 1878, the Corcoran’s home was built in 1887 across from the White House. Designed by Ernest Flagg and expanded in 1928 by Charles Adams Platt, the building has housed both public galleries and the school under one roof—continuing a Beaux Arts education into the modern day.
While the National Gallery of Art took ownership of the art collection and has continued holding public exhibitions in the second floor galleries, the rest of the building was updated or converted for use as classrooms, art labs, student galleries, and faculty and administration space.
Goals for the project included repairing and restoring the building’s infrastructure and envelope, updating fire and life safety, providing museum quality systems to protect the National Gallery of Art’s collections, and creating a unique identity for the Corcoran School within GW.
