Sunday, April 27, 2014

Franklin School & How It'll Soon Relate To 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.

From what I have seen, one of the most noteworthy aspects of this endeavor is that it will bring new life to the Franklin School. This is especially true, seeing as how the last purpose of the building in question was as a homeless shelter. It ended this level of activity in 2008, though was a move that was met with criticism in DC. Even still, the building remained unused after that, which means that it became nothing short of an inactive landmark in the city.

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.

It's clear that just about every area of the world has, at least, a few buildings that are not occupied. Perhaps it is a matter of a previous business closing down but I am of the opinion that there are still a few structures that can still be utilized for other purposes. This is the case for the Franklin Building and I am glad to see that the state of Washington has, once again, recognized its worth. The idea of a new museum opening up is an interesting one, both for tourists and art enthusiasts alike.




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