Randall Junior High School

The Randall Junior High School building, at 65 I St. SW, was built in 1906 and closed as a school in 1978. After that, it served as a homeless shelter and for a short time as art studio space. The Corcoran Gallery of Art bought the building from the city in 2006 for $6.2 million, intending to use it for both permanent exhibition space and temporary space while the proposed Frank Gehry wing was being constructed. The Corcoran’s development partner, Monument Realty, was unable to pursue development due to the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, so the Corcoran resold it to Telesis Corporation and Don and Mera Rubell. The plans are for residences and an art museum for displaying some of the Rubell’s collection.