Corcoran Board Asked to Rethink Sale Plan

By PATRICIA COHEN

Opponents of the Corcoran Gallery's decision to sell its historic Beaux-Arts building at 17th Street and New York Avenue NW in Washington delivered a 3,200-signature petition to the gallery's Board of Trustees on Monday, urging the panel to reconsider.

“The Board of Trustees owes not only the Corcoran community, but also the city of Washington, D.C., more information about this decision and their intent,” said Jacqueline Hiersteiner, a member of the nonprofit Save the Corcoran Coalition.

The Corcoran in June announced a plan to sell the building, citing the need for $100 million in renovations, as well as the difficulty of better integrating the gallery and the Corcoran College of Art + Design in the current setting.

Jayme McLellan, an adjunct faculty member at the Corcoran College of Art + Design and a member of the coalition, criticized the absence of Corcoran leaders and trustees during two community me etings this summer. “The strength of any cultural institution is in the community that supports it,” she said, “We ask that decision makers are present and participate at the next community meeting, taking place Aug. 23 at the Corcoran.”