Curbed DC - Historic Franklin School redevelopmentLove where you live2019-07-22T12:50:42-04:00http://dc.curbed.com/rss/stream/175713952019-07-22T12:50:42-04:002019-07-22T12:50:42-04:00Plans for D.C.’s first-ever language-arts museum receive federal approval
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<figcaption>Franklin School building | Shutterstock</figcaption>
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<p>Planet Word is expected to open at the historic Franklin School building in 2020</p> <p id="VxEA0e">The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has green-lighted final site and building development plans for <a href="https://www.planetwordmuseum.org/welcome">Planet Word</a>, D.C.’s inaugural language-arts museum that is poised to debut at the historic Franklin School building <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/neighborhood/1930/downtown-business-district">downtown</a> in spring 2020. Those plans include exterior signs, lighting, and an entry gate on K Street NW that would lead to a welcome plaza.</p>
<p id="oMKHTX">In the preliminary plans for the museum that the NCPC approved in March, the entry gate “was intended to resemble a book opening and closing,” according to a <a href="https://www.ncpc.gov/docs/actions/2019July/7932_Exterior_Lighting_and_Revised_Gate_at_Planet_Word_Staff_Report_Jul2019.pdf">staff report</a> for the commission’s July 11 meeting, but the commissioners said such a design seemed “heav[y]” and could pose security risks. The development team, led by philanthropist Ann Friedman and featuring architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle, revised the gate design to “relate to the vocabulary of the Speaking Willow sculpture”—<a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2019/02/21/will-planet-word-speak-to-you-literally-yes.html">a talking tree</a>—“located in the new terrace.”</p>
<p id="uiOHyP">“The Speaking Willow is visible and framed ... while the gate is open,” the report explains. “When the gate is closed, passers-by can see still the Speaking Willow and the rest of the courtyard, avoiding the feeling of a gated community.” The entry gate is made up of three three sliding panels that retract behind a fourth and it is separate from the historic building.</p>
<aside id="3rCXvm"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"dc-curbed"}'></div></aside><p id="Sz1oyM"></p>
<p id="Cbtcjy">Standing at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/925+13th+St+NW,+Washington,+DC+20005/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7b794425e0115:0xe35bcc1717426534?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1_ePo9sjjAhWIT98KHRUbA5IQ8gEwAHoECAoQAQ">925 13th Street NW</a> close to <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2019/3/12/18262217/dc-parks-franklin-square-congress-trump-nps">Franklin Square</a>, the Franklin School was originally designed by architect <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/maps/adolph-cluss-architecture-buildings-map">Adolf Cluss</a> in 1869. It has been vacant since 2008 and used to serve as a homeless shelter. The 51,000-square-foot building is also a national landmark and, in 2017, was set aside for <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2018/6/5/17430574/planet-word-dc-franklin-school">redevelopment</a> into Planet Word by Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration.</p>
<aside id="0oN1Fh"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Developer resumes work on Franklin School project after agreeing to reinstall historic fabric it damaged","url":"https://dc.curbed.com/2019/1/16/18184257/dc-franklin-school-redevelopment-historic-interiors-agreement"},{"title":"D.C. forces work to halt on historic Franklin School redevelopment after alleged damage","url":"https://dc.curbed.com/2018/9/4/17820704/historic-preservation-franklin-school-redevelopment-planet-word"},{"title":"See renderings of Planet Word, the new museum coming to Franklin School","url":"https://dc.curbed.com/2018/6/5/17430574/planet-word-dc-franklin-school"}]}'></div></aside><p id="Og85R0">But last year, the development team <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2019/1/16/18184257/dc-franklin-school-redevelopment-historic-interiors-agreement">admitted</a> to <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2018/9/4/17820704/historic-preservation-franklin-school-redevelopment-planet-word">removing</a> “significant amounts” of legally protected historic interiors, or “fabric,” from the building—including original plaster wall, brick walls, wainscoting, baseboards, pressed-tin ceilings, and floors—during construction work. The team struck a deal with federal and local officials to retain the remaining historic fabric and replace certain components of what had been lost. Work began again in January.</p>
<aside id="eAyNtx"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Adolph Cluss’s best buildings in D.C., mapped","url":"https://dc.curbed.com/maps/adolph-cluss-architecture-buildings-map"}]}'></div></aside><p id="kmYfXZ">Planet Word will host interactive exhibits and events. Parts of the design plans follow below.</p>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bPQk_6QwmJnGH-Ss9Cu678M62T8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18326469/Screen_Shot_2019_07_22_at_11.22.22_AM.png">
<cite>Planet Word/Beyer Blinder Belle</cite>
<figcaption>Proposed flush to grade lighting details of monument sign at paved entry</figcaption>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EV5bnRik-VOEtRnAwZtCrjEa6VE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18326470/Screen_Shot_2019_07_22_at_11.24.09_AM.png">
<cite>Planet Word/Beyer Blinder Belle</cite>
<figcaption>Proposed flush to grade lighting details at banner sign in grass area</figcaption>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6EwYaUQr953HFqvDjA6Whi7P-hU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18326473/Screen_Shot_2019_07_22_at_11.25.17_AM.png">
<cite>Planet Word/Beyer Blinder Belle</cite>
<figcaption>Rendering of K Street NW entry gate, open</figcaption>
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<cite>Planet Word/Beyer Blinder Belle</cite>
<figcaption>Rendering of K Street NW entry gate, closed</figcaption>
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https://dc.curbed.com/2019/7/22/20703801/planet-word-museum-franklin-school-redevelopment-ncpcAndrew Giambrone2019-01-16T16:56:55-05:002019-01-16T16:56:55-05:00Developer resumes work on Franklin School project after agreeing to reinstall historic fabric it damaged
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<figcaption>The Franklin School | Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>In 2018, workers removed legally protected materials from the building, which is being turned into a museum</p> <p id="3tCC0K">A development team spearheaded by philanthropist Ann Friedman has recommenced work on the Franklin School, a landmarked and vacant building in <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/neighborhood/1930/downtown-business-district">downtown</a> D.C. that the team is transforming into the city’s first-ever <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/1/25/14384186/franklin-school-museum">language-arts museum</a>. The restoration work kicked off again in early January, nearly four months after District officials <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2018/9/4/17820704/historic-preservation-franklin-school-redevelopment-planet-word">issued</a> a stop-work order on the project. Last August, workers <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2018/8/31/17806690/dc-franklin-school-redevelopment-historic-preservation-museum">removed</a> legally protected interiors from the 1869 building.</p>
<p id="HJl12Y">It is still unclear just how that happened, despite a public roundtable that the D.C. Council’s committee of the whole <a href="http://dc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=4801">held</a> on the matter on Tuesday. But the developer—Franklin School Development LLC—in December was cleared by the District’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to continue the rehabilitation work. Earlier that month, Friedman signed a memorandum of agreement with local and federal agencies, acknowledging that her team had “removed significant amounts of historic fabric from the Franklin School” without proper building permits and before a required <a href="https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/historic-preservation/historic-preservation-policy-tools/legislation-policy-and-reports/section-106-national-historic-preservation-act-of-1966">historic preservation review process</a> was done.</p>
<p id="U3e5Ti">The ousted materials include “all original plaster wall and ceiling finishes in the classrooms; several original brick structural walls including former classroom and cloakroom walls; all historic wainscoting except for a small section on the third floor main hall; the majority of the baseboard, picture-rail and related trim; all pressed tin ceilings; the ceiling and floor structure above the third floor; and large areas of flooring,” says a copy of the agreement obtained by Curbed. D.C.’s State Historic Preservation Office, the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation also signed it. Architect <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/maps/adolph-cluss-architecture-buildings-map">Adolph Cluss</a> designed the Franklin School, which the District owns.</p>
<aside id="DzYUmN"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"dc-curbed"}'></div></aside><p id="LrpnhH"></p>
<p id="bHV4Xm">Executed on Dec. 10, the agreement sets out several replacement and mitigation measures for the remainder of the project. All of the remaining historic fabric must be “retained and restored in place for continued use in Planet Word,” the planned language-arts museum. A number of features—including in the building’s former classrooms, administrative spaces, galleries, and great hall—must be recreated. The agreement also specifies how the local and federal agencies are to consult Friedman’s development team on any design modifications, and stipulates that the National Capital Planning Commission will visit the site each month.</p>
<p id="7iKHKE">In a statement on Tuesday, Friedman said she regretted that unpermitted work took place and is committed to ensuring that it does not happen again. “I am delighted that our work to rehabilitate the Franklin School has resumed and eagerly anticipate reopening the doors of this iconic building to the Washington, D.C. community as Planet Word Museum,” she said. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration chose Friedman as the developer for the site in 2017.</p>
<p id="fDOoa4">Rebecca Miller, the executive director of the nonprofit D.C. Preservation League, which has been monitoring the redevelopment project, testified at the Council’s roundtable and called for the “highest financial penalty possible” for the damage. She estimated that this would be roughly $8,000, characterizing that figure as “just the cost of doing business when you have a multimillion-dollar project.” Miller said in August she repeatedly contacted DCRA, which issues building permits and is supposed to police illegal construction, but did not get a reply.</p>
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<cite>D.C. government/Franklin School Development LLC</cite>
<figcaption>An illustration of the developer’s plans for a replicated classroom</figcaption>
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<p id="NSnu8O">D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who presided over the roundtable, questioned D.C.’s state historic preservation officer, David Maloney, about how his office and DCRA found out about the damage, and why DCRA took more than a week to issue a stop-work order. (DCRA was not present at the roundtable.) Maloney said the project’s architect, who was “mortified” at the time, in mid-August disclosed the damage to his office, and then his office told DCRA.</p>
<p id="MNqyLD">“Of course, it does not make up for the removal of the historic fabric that occurred,” Maloney said of the agreement. “There’s no question about that.” He added that the project’s architect later informed D.C. historic preservation officials that the protected materials had been sent to “landfills in Maryland and Ohio”—after which stage a staffer for Maloney’s office called a Maryland landfill. “[He] was told by the operator that essentially materials are processed the same day they come in, so once it hits the landfill it’s gone the same day,” Maloney explained.</p>
<p id="C5bCgQ">On Aug. 30, the development team and the official agencies, including DCRA, went to the Franklin School. “That was the first opportunity that we had that everyone could go in the building at the same time,” Maloney told Mendelson. DCRA issued its stop-work order on Sept. 4. A spokesman for the department says this transpired “once an inspection of the property was completed,” and that the inspection was “coordinated” with other agencies.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="zjd9j3"><q>“I don’t know that any of us can answer that question.”</q></aside></div>
<p id="95XJCX">Beyond the stop-work order, it remains to be seen whether D.C. will fine the development team. Maloney said a fine worth only several thousand dollars would be “small” given the total cost of the project (previously estimated to be about $50 million), and that the cost of recreating the historic fabric is “significant.” Asked by Mendelson how anyone could be confident that the destruction of historic material would not happen again, Maloney responded: “I don’t know that any of us can answer that question.” He added that the agreement with the development team was the most practical way to mitigate the damage and restore the Franklin School’s character-defining elements.</p>
<p id="daH1gY">Mendelson recessed the roundtable to a later date so that DCRA could participate in it. The spokesman for the agency says “we will work with the Council and the committee to ensure they have the information they need.” A spokeswoman for Mendelson says the committee is likely to roll the Franklin School saga into a DCRA oversight hearing already set in February.</p>
https://dc.curbed.com/2019/1/16/18184257/dc-franklin-school-redevelopment-historic-interiors-agreementAndrew Giambrone2018-09-04T18:35:51-04:002018-09-04T18:35:51-04:00D.C. forces work to halt on historic Franklin School redevelopment after alleged damage
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YvJA0Ivq5v81XE4hmlXB3m1Dro0=/184x0:3117x2200/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61139751/GettyImages_1025453826.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The Franklin School, at <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/925+13th+St+NW,+Washington,+DC+20005/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7b794425e0115:0xe35bcc1717426534?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi8-aWfoqLdAhUxw1kKHfx5D6UQ8gEwAHoECAUQAQ" target="_blank">925 13th St. NW</a> | The Washington Post/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Officials and preservationists visited the site last week to assess the situation</p> <p id="bVNLau">The District has issued a stop-work order on the $50 million redevelopment of the Franklin School, a publicly owned historic building downtown that developers are transforming into the city’s first-ever language arts museum, after officials discovered that legally protected interiors had been removed from the building during renovation work.</p>
<p id="ykEAa3">On Tuesday, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs placed the order on the project, citing “illegal construction/working without a permit.” That determination usually means a developer has to pay a fine of 50 percent of the cost of the permit they should have obtained for the work performed, although developers can <a href="https://dcra.dc.gov/service/appeal-stop-work-order">appeal</a> stop-work orders.</p>
<p id="ZmHE9q">It’s unclear how long the project will be delayed. Called <a href="https://www.planetwordmuseum.org/">Planet Word</a>, the planned museum is scheduled to open in late 2019 and is the brainchild of philanthropist Ann Friedman. The development team originally included Friedman and Dantes Partners, which has developed several <a href="https://www.dantespartners.com/our-experience/">affordable housing projects</a> in the District, but the latter dropped out at some point.</p>
<p id="igZOLy">In a statement, Friedman calls the Franklin School “an iconic artifact” of D.C.’s history, but does not specifically address the <a href="https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/frequently-asked-questions-about-section-106-the-national-historic-preservation-act">historic preservation laws</a> governing the property. “I’m honored to be entrusted with its restoration and am committed – as I have been throughout the life of this project – to working with all stakeholders, including relevant federal and city agencies, to preserve the historic integrity of this beautiful building,” she says.</p>
<p id="UrTXCd">A permit that the city issued this past June approved work on the building’s foundation, public records show. But at some point, workers allegedly took out many of the Franklin School’s historic finishes, including most of the wainscotting, or wood paneling. </p>
<p id="ERoya9">Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner, whose office selected the development team in 2017, notes in a statement that officials decided a stop-work order was “the best course of action” after completing “a thorough investigation” into the project.</p>
<p id="ypzYVH">“The Bowser Administration is working with the development team to remediate the issue and put proper controls in place to continue the transformation of Franklin School into a world-class museum in the heart of the District,” says Kenner.</p>
<p id="fFRjas">Designed by <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/maps/adolph-cluss-architecture-buildings-map">Adolph Cluss</a>, the Franklin School was built in 1869 and is now a District and national landmark. It has been vacant since 2008 and previously served as a homeless shelter. Preservationists and officials visited the site last Thursday to assess the situation.</p>
<p id="MxSATX">The <em>Washington Business Journal</em> was the first to report on the <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/08/29/historic-interiors-allegedly-removed-from-franklin.html">damage</a> and the <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/09/04/district-orders-work-to-stop-on-historic-franklin.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-09-04">stop-work order</a>. The paper also obtained an Aug. 30 letter to Friedman in which the District’s <a href="https://planning.dc.gov/release/maloney-named-districts-new-state-historic-preservation-officer">state historic preservation officer</a>, David Maloney, said preservationists were weighing “remedial actions” and that many of the materials removed from the building could not be retrieved.</p>
<p id="oa1nQN">The would-be museum promises interactive exhibits, classrooms, a great hall, a restaurant, and an auditorium. The Franklin School is located at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/925+13th+St+NW,+Washington,+DC+20005/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7b794425e0115:0xe35bcc1717426534?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi8-aWfoqLdAhUxw1kKHfx5D6UQ8gEwAHoECAUQAQ">925 13th St. NW</a>, near Franklin Square.</p>
<p id="2PrykF"><em>This post has been updated with comment from Friedman and Kenner, and to reflect that Dantes Partners is no longer part of the project.</em></p>
<ul>
<li id="Y3Tu2h">
<a href="https://dc.curbed.com/maps/adolph-cluss-architecture-buildings-map">Adolph Cluss’s best buildings in D.C., mapped</a> [Curbed DC]</li>
<li id="cvrEfz">
<a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/08/29/historic-interiors-allegedly-removed-from-franklin.html">Historic interiors allegedly removed from Franklin School</a> [Washington Business Journal]</li>
<li id="wQosun">
<a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/09/04/district-orders-work-to-stop-on-historic-franklin.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-09-04">District orders work to stop on historic Franklin School renovations</a> [Washington Business Journal]</li>
</ul>
https://dc.curbed.com/2018/9/4/17820704/historic-preservation-franklin-school-redevelopment-planet-wordAndrew Giambrone2018-08-31T17:22:20-04:002018-08-31T17:22:20-04:00Historic Franklin School redevelopment draws scrutiny from D.C. officials, preservationists
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2LEkkWNEEsyirlgJHQUQLB_fadI=/167x0:2835x2001/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61101871/shutterstock_250934839.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The Franklin School at 925 13th St. NW | <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/g/andrei%20medvedev" target="_blank">Andrei Medvedev</a>/Shutterstock</figcaption>
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<p>Workers reportedly damaged the interior of the building, which is set to become a museum</p> <p id="8ceWRD">Once a homeless shelter and now a historic landmark, the former Franklin School building at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/925+13th+St+NW,+Washington,+DC+20005/@38.9021132,-77.0315131,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89b7b794425e0115:0xe35bcc1717426534!8m2!3d38.9021132!4d-77.0293244">925 13th St. NW</a>—right off Franklin Square—is currently being <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/5/25/15691062/franklin-school-planet-word">shaped</a> into the District’s inaugural language museum. The future museum is expected to <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/11/21/16685910/franklin-school-planet-word-opening">open</a> in late 2019 and will feature interactive exhibits, classroom space, an auditorium, a great hall, and a restaurant.</p>
<p id="hHe8MX">But as first reported by the <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/08/29/historic-interiors-allegedly-removed-from-franklin.html"><em>Washington Business Journal</em></a> on Wednesday, workers apparently damaged parts of the building’s historic interior since work got underway this year, casting a shadow over the $50 million project. The work allegedly violated the construction permit that the city granted for the project as well as District and federal historic preservation laws.</p>
<p id="QHrQnk">In recent weeks, according to an Aug. 22 email the <em>Journal</em> obtained, preservation officials learned that the interior work at the Franklin School “exceeded that allowed by the District’s permit, and has resulted in the significant removal of interior historic fabric, including most of the extant wainscoting,” or wood paneling. The building has been vacant since 2008 and is owned by the District government. (Occupy activists <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/police-arrest-11-as-occupy-dc-supporters-take-over-franklin-school-building/2011/11/19/gIQAiZvycN_story.html">briefly took over</a> the school in 2011.)</p>
<p id="mp7qbu">Philanthropist Ann Friedman, who established the museum concept, called <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2018/6/5/17430574/planet-word-dc-franklin-school">Planet Word</a>, is leading the redevelopment. Friedman told the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/construction-has-damaged-interior-of-historic-franklin-school-preservationists-say/2018/08/30/28bde1de-ab96-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.580d937872c7"><em>Washington Post</em></a><em> </em>on Thursday that the Franklin School is a “beautiful, wonderful building,” but would not comment on whether the work so far had run afoul of any historic preservation regulations.</p>
<p id="a5qzcm">The office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development <a href="https://dmped.dc.gov/page/franklin-school-925-13th-street-nw">awarded</a> the rights to the 51,000-square-foot project in early 2017. Officials visited the site on Thursday, per the <em>Post</em>, but did not decide whether to stop the work. D.C. Preservation League leader Rebecca Miller joined the visit and told the paper that most of the historical finishings were removed.</p>
<p id="kMH0mb">A spokeswoman for Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner told Curbed DC that she did not have any updates about the situation as of mid-Friday afternoon. Named after Benjamin Franklin, the school was built in 1869. <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/maps/adolph-cluss-architecture-buildings-map">Adolph Cluss</a>, the same architect behind Eastern Market, designed it. <a href="http://www.franklinschooldc.org/Franklin_School_DC/Brief_History.html">Alexander Graham Bell</a> also tested his photopone invention on the school’s roof, in 1880.</p>
<ul>
<li id="Hu0t9t">
<a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/08/29/historic-interiors-allegedly-removed-from-franklin.html">Historic interiors allegedly removed from Franklin School</a> [Washington Business Journal]</li>
<li id="topper-headline-wrapper">
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/police-arrest-11-as-occupy-dc-supporters-take-over-franklin-school-building/2011/11/19/gIQAiZvycN_story.html">Police arrest 13 as Occupy D.C. supporters take over Franklin School building</a> [Washington Post]</li>
<li id="UwtfSL">
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/construction-has-damaged-interior-of-historic-franklin-school-preservationists-say/2018/08/30/28bde1de-ab96-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.417c485918ec">Construction has damaged interior of historic Franklin School, preservationists say</a> [Washington Post]</li>
</ul>
https://dc.curbed.com/2018/8/31/17806690/dc-franklin-school-redevelopment-historic-preservation-museumAndrew Giambrone2018-06-05T16:35:01-04:002018-06-05T16:35:01-04:00See renderings of Planet Word, the new museum coming to Franklin School
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9gnCZ0ZtQWHMBwzqflJwXRBzn0I=/0x0:4032x3024/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59962551/franklin_school_mayor_bowser.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Mayor Muriel Bowser at the museum’s ground-breaking | Adele Chapin</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And what the building looks like currently </p> <p id="zJHhWD">A new era is dawning for<a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/11/21/16685910/franklin-school-planet-word-opening"> the Franklin School</a>, a historic 50,000-square-foot Adolf Cluss-designed building adjacent to downtown D.C.’s Franklin Square Park near McPherson Square. Yesterday marked the groundbreaking for <a href="https://www.planetwordmuseum.org">Planet Word</a>, an interactive museum dedicate to the power of language, which is slated to open in late 2019. </p>
<p id="4NPawJ">The restoration of Franklin School’s interiors for the museum is overseen by design firm Beyer Blinder Belle. This is one of 13 building in Washington, D.C. that has been given interior landmark protection, so it’s going to be careful going. The circa 1869-building’s been unoccupied since 2008.</p>
<p id="JckJtX">Planet Word is fundraising for the museum — fittingly, A&TT is a corporate donor, considering this is the building’s roof is where Alexander Graham Bell made the first wireless voice transmission. </p>
<p id="iENGUI">Here’s what’s in store for Planet Word: There will be a gallery where visitors can “paint” with words, a 5,000-LED globe with word games from languages across the world, and a voice-activated 22-foot-high word wall with 3-D words that will light up. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xQEhrL-tJUx4pGLTm84LmzfjGYE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11483939/180525_PW_PressRender_G5.jpg">
<cite>Planet Word</cite>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nPuf7bF2xZwPhtbA9vr3uXfxr1E=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11483945/180525_PW_PressRender_G2.jpg">
<cite>Planet Word</cite>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7WtPNmHAP0FSyRa1LlAUAY06VYo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11483941/180525_PW_PressRender_G1.jpg">
<cite>Planet Word</cite>
</figure>
<p id="vqGgcs">Here’s what the school looks like inside currently: it’s all soaring ceilings and lovely windows where the museum’s digital exhibits will soon be located. The new museum combined with an anticipated <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2018/4/16/17242570/park-franklin-renovation-architects">Franklin Park renovation</a> will give this block a whole new look. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kzrI0lO32xYYLIjGNQbvmPFz4Vg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11484677/IMG_2865.JPG">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nPfV8Vk5LNEsPIxVgPr9IjPMKoM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11484747/franklin_school_1.JPG">
</figure>
<ul>
<li id="VMio3H">
<a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/11/21/16685910/franklin-school-planet-word-opening">Franklin School’s language arts museum to open by Q3 2019</a> [Curbed DC]</li>
<li id="SnhzuD">
<a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/5/25/15691062/franklin-school-planet-word">Vacant Franklin School reveals new plans on Planet Word</a> [Curbed DC]</li>
<li id="KBsdP5">
<a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2018/3/2/17071204/franklin-school-planet-word-groundbreaking">Franklin School’s language arts museum groundbreaking has not been confirmed</a> [Curbed DC]</li>
<li id="e5jnfV">
<a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/11/21/16685910/franklin-school-planet-word-opening">Franklin School will become a language museum, open by 2019</a> [Curbed DC]</li>
</ul>
https://dc.curbed.com/2018/6/5/17430574/planet-word-dc-franklin-schoolAdele Chapin2018-03-02T12:28:40-05:002018-03-02T12:28:40-05:00Franklin School’s language arts museum groundbreaking has not been confirmed [Update]
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aWEJ4rd4RJC_Jq6eFrMcG7dY4ms=/0x0:800x600/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58880151/800px_Franklin_School.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Photo via Wikimedia Commons/AgnosticPreachersKid</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Expect the museum open by Q3 2019</p> <p id="GlTQkW">The date of groundbreaking for the Franklin School redevelopment is still not known. David McAuley, founder of <a href="http://shortarticlesaboutlongmeetings.blogspot.com/">Short Articles about Long Meetings</a>, reported in PoPville that architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle told a committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F that the groundbreaking for the language arts museum, called Planet Word, will occur May 4. [<strong>UPDATE: </strong>A staff member of Planet Word reached out to Curbed DC to confirm that the date for groundbreaking has not officially been set yet.]</p>
<p id="MJF2mS">The school-turned-museum, located at 13th and K streets NW, is to inspire a love of words and language and increase literacy through interactive exhibits.</p>
<p id="n6Xlul"><a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/11/20/franklin-school-planet-word-dc.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search"><em>Washington Business Journal</em></a><em> </em>broke down exactly what to expect from the project floor by floor, writing:</p>
<blockquote>
<p id="IRASgT">“On the ground floor, a 1,377-square-foot restaurant and 1,069-square-foot kitchen, more than 2,100 square feet of offices, a workshop and small conference room.</p>
<p id="FcF4o4">On the first floor, 603 square feet of retail, joined by a nearly 2,000-square-foot auditorium and two galleries totaling about 2,200 square feet.</p>
<p id="JFwvGp">On the second floor, five galleries totaling just shy of 5,000 square feet, joined by a 300-square-foot language lab and two classrooms.</p>
<p id="mKTLGl">On the third floor, a 3,124-square-foot gallery in the Great Hall, a 1,578-square-foot gallery and a 2,205-square-foot changing exhibit. This floor also includes a 155-square-foot Bride’s Room, suggesting the school will be available to rent for weddings.</p>
<p id="n2akjK">On the fourth floor, 2,941 square feet of potential event space joined by a new 1,080-square-foot roof terrace. It is one of the few additions that will be made to the heavily protected building.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="UMtv65">In 1869, the Franklin School was designed by <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/maps/adolph-cluss-architecture-buildings-map">Adolph Cluss</a>, the same architect behind Eastern Market and the Arts and Industries Building. When it was constructed, it served as the <a href="http://www.adolf-cluss.org/index.php?sub=3.5.55&lang=en&content=w&topSub=washington">flagship building</a> of eight modern urban public school buildings.</p>
<p id="dVECIy">On the rooftop of the school in 1880, Alexander Graham Bell tested his invention, the photophone, which allows sound to be transmitted by light waves. Because of this, the school was later declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996.</p>
<p id="cC7vdk">In 2002, the building was later used as a homeless shelter that eventually closed in September 2008.</p>
<p id="7JkoLt">• <a href="https://www.popville.com/2018/03/planet-word-museum-groundbreaking-in-the-old-franklin-school-to-be-may-4th/">Planet Word Museum “Groundbreaking” in the old Franklin School to be May 4th!!</a> [PoPville]</p>
<p id="oaR7ou">• <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/11/21/16685910/franklin-school-planet-word-opening">Franklin School’s language arts museum to open by Q3 2019</a> [Curbed DC]</p>
https://dc.curbed.com/2018/3/2/17071204/franklin-school-planet-word-groundbreakingMichelle Goldchain2017-11-21T12:07:27-05:002017-11-21T12:07:27-05:00Franklin School’s language arts museum to open by Q3 2019
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qJyzCqZc7rSFjlIoZSZK6aLXHvg=/0x0:800x600/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57696041/800px_Franklin_School.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Photo via Wikimedia Commons/AgnosticPreachersKid</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This new museum is set to inspire a love of words and language as well as increase literacy</p> <p id="SUVAQL">In <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/1/25/14384186/franklin-school-museum">January 2017</a>, it was revealed that Washington, D.C.’s vacant Franklin School, which has been vacant since 2008, will be redeveloped into the city’s first interactive language arts museum and education space, called Planet Word. Since then, <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/11/20/franklin-school-planet-word-dc.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search"><em>Washington Business Journal</em></a><em> </em>was able to find out when the project is expected to deliver: by the third quarter of 2019. (On the <a href="https://www.planetwordmuseum.org/">Planet Word</a> website, it states that it will open by the winter of 2019.)</p>
<p id="l3UtMP">According to a press release, “Planet Word’s mission is to inspire a love of words and language and increase literacy through a host of interactive exhibits and experiences. Along with the Mundolingua in Paris, Planet Word will be one of just a few fully-operational language museums globally.”</p>
<p id="Y0JtN4">The more than $20 million project will be privately funded, thanks to philanthropist Ann B. Friedman. </p>
<p id="n6Xlul">On the K Street NW side of the building, an accessible entrance patio will be constructed. <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/11/20/franklin-school-planet-word-dc.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search"><em>Washington Business Journal</em></a><em> </em>broke down exactly what to expect from the project floor by floor, writing:</p>
<blockquote>
<p id="IRASgT">“On the ground floor, a 1,377-square-foot restaurant and 1,069-square-foot kitchen, more than 2,100 square feet of offices, a workshop and small conference room.</p>
<p id="FcF4o4">On the first floor, 603 square feet of retail, joined by a nearly 2,000-square-foot auditorium and two galleries totaling about 2,200 square feet.</p>
<p id="JFwvGp">On the second floor, five galleries totaling just shy of 5,000 square feet, joined by a 300-square-foot language lab and two classrooms.</p>
<p id="mKTLGl">On the third floor, a 3,124-square-foot gallery in the Great Hall, a 1,578-square-foot gallery and a 2,205-square-foot changing exhibit. This floor also includes a 155-square-foot Bride’s Room, suggesting the school will be available to rent for weddings.</p>
<p id="n2akjK">On the fourth floor, 2,941 square feet of potential event space joined by a new 1,080-square-foot roof terrace. It is one of the few additions that will be made to the heavily protected building.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="erUiQv">Leading the project is Dantes Partners with Beyer Blinder Belle as the architect. The National Capital Planning Commission will consider the project in December.</p>
<p id="UMtv65">In 1869, the Franklin School was designed by Adolf Cluss, the same architect behind Eastern Market and the Arts and Industries Building. When it was constructed, it served as the <a href="http://www.adolf-cluss.org/index.php?sub=3.5.55&lang=en&content=w&topSub=washington">flagship building</a> of eight modern urban public school buildings.</p>
<p id="dVECIy">On the rooftop of the school in 1880, Alexander Graham Bell tested his invention, the photophone, which allows sound to be transmitted by light waves. Because of this, the school was later declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996.</p>
<p id="7dBVRV">In 2002, the building was later used as a homeless shelter that eventually closed in September 2008.</p>
<p id="VLluLn">• <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/11/20/franklin-school-planet-word-dc.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search">Here's the timing, room-by-room plan for the Franklin School's conversion to Planet Word</a> [Washington Business Journal]</p>
<p id="TnQ4tk">• <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/5/25/15691062/franklin-school-planet-word">Vacant Franklin School reveals new plans on Planet Word</a> [Curbed DC]</p>
https://dc.curbed.com/2017/11/21/16685910/franklin-school-planet-word-openingMichelle Goldchain2017-05-25T12:13:25-04:002017-05-25T12:13:25-04:00Vacant Franklin School reveals new plans on Planet Word
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2mbL0xBSPMYjGxs9ualRWhTjAwI=/0x0:800x600/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54947209/800px_Franklin_School.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>The Franklin School. | Photo via Wikimedia Commons/AgnosticPreachersKid</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>See what to expect from the city’s first interactive museum of words and language</p> <p id="gqWU8W">In <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/1/25/14384186/franklin-school-museum">January 2017</a>, news first broke of the plans for redeveloping Washington, D.C.’s vacant Franklin School, which has been vacant since 2008. The plan is to create the city’s first interactive language arts museum and education space, called <a href="https://www.planetwordmuseum.org/">Planet Word</a>. Leading the project is Ann B. Friedman and Dantes Partners with Beyer Blinder Belle as the architect.</p>
<p id="S0rSbX"><a href="http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/planet_words_plans_for_the_franklin_school/12614">UrbanTurf</a> now reports that the Planet Word non-profit now has an early layout for the museum. Here, there will be a restaurant, two classrooms, an open patio, auditorium, exhibit space, and great hall. There will also be administrative space and a rooftop terrace with an optional event space.</p>
<div> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EjaQP7ZmPJW5mhCuCPKFwXfXPWc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8577659/planetword550.jpg">
<cite>Rendering via Planet Word</cite>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="P9xYoc">The delivery for the project is slated for the winter of 2019.</p>
<p id="mNddVD">According to a press release, “Planet Word’s mission is to inspire a love of words and language and increase literacy through a host of interactive exhibits and experiences. Along with the Mundolingua in Paris, Planet Word will be one of just a few fully-operational language museums globally.”</p>
<p id="rCcFr0">The cost of the project is estimated around $30 million. The project is expected to generate 35 full-time jobs and welcome nearly 100,000 visitors annually.</p>
<p id="UMtv65">In 1869, the Franklin School was designed by Adolf Cluss, the same architect behind Eastern Market and the Arts and Industries Building. When it was constructed, it served as the <a href="http://www.adolf-cluss.org/index.php?sub=3.5.55&lang=en&content=w&topSub=washington">flagship building</a> of eight modern urban public school buildings.</p>
<p id="dVECIy">On the rooftop of the school in 1880, Alexander Graham Bell tested his invention, the photophone, which allows sound to be transmitted by light waves. Because of this, the school was later declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996.</p>
<p id="31yJv6">In 2002, the building was later used as a homeless shelter that eventually closed in September 2008.</p>
<p id="ZYpWTm">• <a href="http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/planet_words_plans_for_the_franklin_school/12614">Planet Word’s Early Plans for the Franklin School</a> [UrbanTurf]</p>
<p id="f02rx7">• <a href="https://dc.curbed.com/2017/1/25/14384186/franklin-school-museum">Franklin School will become a language museum, open by 2019</a> [Curbed DC]</p>
https://dc.curbed.com/2017/5/25/15691062/franklin-school-planet-wordMichelle Goldchain