The Corcoran School (built 1889) is a historic building located at 1219 28th Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The original school was named for Thomas Corcoran, former mayor of Georgetown, and was developed to accommodate the Caucasian population in the area. [1] The school comprises approximately 24,000 square feet total and sits on a lot that extends down to M Street. [2]
Located at 28th and M Streets NW, the building was originally developed as an elementary school in 1889 and operated in that capacity for sixty-two years. It was named after former Georgetown mayor, Thomas Corcoran. Thomas Corcoran's son was William Wilson Corcoran, founder of the well-known Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. [1] It was built as a school for Caucasian children in the area and ran successfully until the mid-1900s because of inability to keep the school full. The school board made the decision to close the school in 1947, but reversed its decision a year later "until it can be determined if extensive building and remodeling of homes in Georgetown will result in increased school attendance by white children". The school ultimately closed in 1950. [1]
Following closure of the school, the city used the building for administrative purposes. In 1981, the city attempted to auction the building off but was unsuccessful, until the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union purchased it for $1.8 million at an auction in 1982. [3]
The labor union, now known as UNITE HERE, purchased the building in 1982 to be used as its international headquarters. It outbid Royce Lanier, an architect hoping to restore or lease the school. [3] The Union was founded in 1891 and merged with the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) in 2004 to become UNITE HERE. [4]
In 2005, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) purchased the building from the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union for $7.3 million. [2] ARTBA was founded in 1902 and lists on its website that it is "the oldest and most respected national transportation construction-related association". [5]
The government of the Qatar, specifically the Qatar Ministry of Defense, purchased the building from ARTBA on December 15, 2016. [x] The final sale price was approximately $17 million. [2]
The purchase follows a pattern of recent Qatari-related investments in Washington, D.C. The Club Quarters Hotel was purchased by Doha-based Al Sraiya Holding Group for $52.4 million in early 2016. [6] Prior to that, "Duwaliya US Real Estate Inc. bought 1575 Eye St. NW for $107.9 million about a year ago, the Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Co. bought the St. Regis in 2015 for about $82 million, and the Qatar Investment Authority financed a large portion of CityCenterDC". [2]
The Washington Post reported that CityCenterDC was its first D.C. real estate venture, and it became the primary owner of the project following its investment of $650 million into the development. [7]
In the past, the Qataris have typically focused their investments in London and greater Europe. [7]
Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise ten undergraduate and graduate schools, among which are the School of Foreign Service, School of Business, Medical School, Law School, and a campus in Qatar. The school's main campus, on a hill above the Potomac River, is identifiable by its flagship Healy Hall, a National Historic Landmark. The school was founded in Jesuit tradition and is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States, though the majority of students are not Catholic.
Georgetown is a historic neighborhood and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years. Georgetown remained a separate municipality until 1871 when the United States Congress created a new consolidated government for the whole District of Columbia. A separate act, passed in 1895, specifically repealed Georgetown's remaining local ordinances and renamed Georgetown's streets to conform with those in the City of Washington.
The West End is a neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., bounded by K Street NW to the south, Rock Creek Park to the west and north, and New Hampshire Avenue NW and 23rd Street NW to the east. The West End is so named because it was the westernmost part of the original L'Enfant Plan for the city of Washington, before the annexation of Georgetown. It is home to the embassies of Spain and Qatar as well as the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. The George Washington University and George Washington University Hospital are on the edge of the West End, at Washington Circle.
William Wilson Corcoran was an American banker, philanthropist, and art collector. He founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
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Georgetown University in Qatar is a campus of Georgetown University in Education City, outside of Doha, Qatar. It is one of Georgetown University's 10 undergraduate and graduate schools, and is supported by a partnership between Qatar Foundation and Georgetown University.
Streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region from 1862 until 1962.
Oak Hill Cemetery is a historic 22-acre (8.9 ha) cemetery located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was founded in 1848 and completed in 1853, and is a prime example of a rural cemetery. Many famous politicians, business people, military people, diplomats, and philanthropists are buried at Oak Hill, and the cemetery has a number of Victorian-style memorials and monuments. Oak Hill has two structures which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel and the Van Ness Mausoleum.
Waddy Butler Wood was a prominent American architect of the early 20th century and resident of Washington, D.C. Although Wood designed and remodeled numerous private residences, his reputation rested primarily on his larger commissions, such as banks, commercial offices, and government buildings. His most famous works include the Woodrow Wilson House and the Main Interior Building.
The Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company was the first streetcar company to operate in Washington, D.C. It was incorporated and started operations in 1862, using horse-drawn cars on tracks between Georgetown and the Navy Yard. Two additional lines ran on 7th Street NW/SW and 14th Street NW. In 1890, it switched to cable cars. On September 21, 1895, the company was purchased by the Rock Creek Railway and the two formed the Capital Traction Company.
The Metropolitan Railroad was the second streetcar company to operate in Washington, D.C., United States. It was incorporated and started operations in 1864, running from the Capitol to the War Department and along H Street NW in downtown. It added lines on 9th Street NW, on 4th Street SW/SE, along Connecticut Avenue to Dupont Circle, to Georgetown, to Mt. Pleasant and north along Georgia Avenue. In the late 19th Century it was purchased by the Washington Traction and Electric Company and on February 4, 1902, became a part of the Washington Railway and Electric Company.
The Qatar Investment Authority is Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. The QIA was founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 to strengthen the country's economy by diversifying into new asset classes. In 2021, the QIA had an estimated $300 billion of assets.
The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States is an academic center "distinguished by its emphasis on study of the contemporary Arab world and its rigorous Arabic language training." Part of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, CCAS was founded in 1975; scholars Hanna Batatu and Hisham Sharabi were part of its founding.
CityCenterDC is a mixed-use development consisting of two condominium buildings, two rental apartment buildings, two office buildings, a luxury hotel, and public park in downtown Washington, D.C. It encompasses 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2) and covers more than five city blocks. The $950 million development began construction on April 4, 2011, on the site of the former Washington Convention Center—a 10.2-acre (4.1 ha) site bounded by New York Avenue NW, 9th Street NW, H Street NW, and 11th Street NW. Most of the development was completed and open for business by summer 2015. The luxury hotel Conrad Washington, DC, opened in February 2019.
Eastern High School is a public high school in Washington, D.C. It educates about 1100 students in grades 9 through 12.The school is located on the eastern edge of the Capitol Hill neighborhood at the intersection of 17th Street and East Capital Street Northeast. Eastern was a part of the District of Columbia Public Schools restructuring project, reopening in 2011 to incoming freshmen and growing by a grade level each year. It graduated its first class in 2015.
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Thomas Corcoran Jr. was an Irish American merchant who served as mayor of the town of Georgetown, District of Columbia and 22 terms on the Georgetown Common Council. He also held several appointed positions with the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. He was one of Georgetown's and Washington's first philanthropists, and the father of banker and philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran.
The Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Georgetown is a Modernist hotel located at 1250 22nd Street NW in the West End neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Part of the Embassy Suites Hotels chain of upscale hotels, the hotel is noted for its eight-story atrium, which contains tropical plants, a waterfall, and a lagoon.
Rosewood Washington, D.C. is a luxury boutique hotel located at 1050 31st Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Originally an office building known as the Canal Building, it was constructed in 1963, and was the first major new building constructed in Georgetown in 50 years. The structure was purchased by two local real estate development companies in 2008 and converted to a hotel. The renovation won multiple awards. The hotel, branded as and managed by Capella Hotels and Resorts, opened in 2013 as the Cappella Hotel. The developers sold the property to Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, which rebranded the hotel as the Rosewood Washington, D.C in 2016.
The Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee is a pro-Saudi Arabia public relations and lobbying group based in Washington D.C. with the aim of improving the image of Saudi foreign policy in the United States and strengthening relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States. SAPRAC was founded in March 2016 by Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi writer and political commentator and is headquartered at 1101 30th St NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C.. The group gets its funding from online subscriptions and corporate funding and seeks to influence policymakers more than the general public according to political observers.
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