Officials announced plans to renovate the Corcoran School of Art and Design’s Flagg Building Tuesday.
The renovation will restore the Flagg Building’s windows, roof, heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, according to a Corcoran release. The release states most of the work should wrap up by fall 2023, while the window restoration that began this summer is set to finish by the end of 2023.
The construction work inside the building is expected to take place Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting in January, the release states. Workers will conduct “significantly disruptive” work during early mornings or after hours when possible, while classes and exhibitions move to avoid interruptions, according to the release.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this work may cause, and we will endeavor to minimize disruptions to your academic or work routines,” the release states.
The release states that officials are removing and restoring existing windows to “meet historic restoration requirements” after the Historic Preservation Review Board designated most parts of the building’s inside as a historic landmark in 2015. Window renovations will also bolster how the Flagg Building, which is located on 17th Street across from the Ellipse, “regulates” its environment, the release states.
The release also states that officials will install temporary walls and scaffolding on the first- and second-floor atriums and the second-floor galleries in December to begin upgrades to the HVAC system. Officials are “expected” to complete the atrium upgrades by January, but scaffolding will be in place until fall 2023.
The University signed an agreement with Corcoran and the National Gallery of Art in 2014, beginning a series of construction projects in the Flagg Building, including a two-year, $80 million renovation that added classrooms, gallery space, ramps, elevators and additional bathrooms and updated the building’s safety, mechanical and electrical utilities in 2018.
But after the 2018 renovations, the Flagg Building experienced water leaks from ceilings, which officials fixed the roof the following year.
“You will continue to receive updates on this project through physical building signs, monthly emails and online at go.gwu.edu/reno,” the release states.
