Corcoran Gallery of Art
National Historic Landmark

Corcoran Gallery of Art

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
Listed
May 5, 1971
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
71000997

About this property

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., at the location where the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University, is now. Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran, the gallery was one of the earliest public art museums in the United States. It held an important collection that became concentrated in American art. In 1890, it started its art school. Its Beaux-Arts style building on The Ellipse was opened in 1897. Due to a prolonged economic shortfall, the Gallery failed in October 2014; pursuant to its founding charter, its art school and building transferred to GWU and the 19,456 works in its collection were distributed to other public museums and institutions in Washington, D.C., primarily the National Gallery of Art and the American University Museum.

Location

17th St. at New York Ave., NW.
Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
38.89569, -77.04017

Categories

ARCHITECTUREEDUCATIONART
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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U.S. Civil Service Commission Building
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Questions about this property

When was Corcoran Gallery of Art listed on the National Register?

Corcoran Gallery of Art was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Corcoran Gallery of Art?

Corcoran Gallery of Art is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Corcoran Gallery of Art a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Corcoran Gallery of Art has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Corcoran Gallery of Art?

The period of significance for Corcoran Gallery of Art is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1869.

Can I research the history near Corcoran Gallery of Art?

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