Saturday, May 3, 2014

Franklin School To Transition Into Art

By Paula Hess


One of the more notable buildings in Washingston, DC has got to be the Franklin Building. It was made in 1869 and, at one point, it was better known as the Franklin School. With that said, it currently does not have much use at all but it seems as though this is all about to change in the future. For those of you who enjoy art and see it as, more or less, a career path to travel down, I believe that this news will be of interest to you.

According to Washington City Paper, the Franklin School is set to become an art museum following a proposal that was made. The city announced that the school would be utilized in order to house a number of creations, amongst them, "contemporary art, sculpture, installations, and performances." It's also been said that a restaurant and cafe would be included, which lends credence to the idea that this could become more of a social environment than typical museums. This alone should make this renovation worthy of note.

What's just as worthy of note, though, is how the Franklin School will be given new life after not being utilized for so long. Keep in mind that the school was used for a number of purposes during its time, one of said purposes being a homeless shelter. However, this did not last, as the shelter was closed in 2008, which elicited quite a bit of criticism. In spite of this, the school was left unused, serving as a landmark and nothing more.

What about the idea of employment that is associated with this museum as well? Victor Hoskins, who serves as the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, said that this has the potential to, "create new jobs and provide educational and mentoring programs." This is especially true when considering the idea that those who work with art might find this to be a great employment opportunity. For those who have more in the way of retail experience, there is a bookstore within the museum in addition to a restaurant and cafe.

Whenever you go to a new state or city, chances are that you are going to see a few buildings that are not being utilized. It's possible that past businesses have simply closed down or moved their operations elsewhere. Regardless of what the case may be, it is apparent that the Franklin Building is a tremendous piece of history and Washington was able to recognize this as well. The fact that a museum will soon make its presence known should be enticing to not only art enthusiasts but anyone who can appreciate art in general.




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