Corcoran Gallery of Art Museum

Address: 500 17th St NW, Washington, DC, USA

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was a private art museum and gallery institution in Washington, D.C., established in the 19th century and historically important to the city’s cultural life. Its founding collection and endowment were given by William Wilson Corcoran, and the institution occupied a landmark building on 17th Street NW.

The museum housed a broad collection of American and European art and operated public exhibitions and educational programmes for over a century. The institution underwent a major change in 2014 when its collection and institutional functions were redistributed; the original Corcoran building is now used by a university arts school and for exhibitions under new administration.

The Corcoran building occupies a prominent site near Lafayette Square and the central Washington federal district. The structure remains a recognizable architectural landmark in the downtown area and continues to host arts-related activity under its current institutional arrangements.

• Founding: Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran and for many years was one of Washington’s principal private art museums.

The former Corcoran building sits at 17th Street NW between G and H Streets, a five-minute walk from the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station (Blue, Orange, Silver lines) and about 15 minutes’ walk from the National Mall. Numerous Metrobus routes run along 17th Street.

• The Corcoran ceased operating as an independent museum in 2014; check current exhibitions in the building since it now houses GWU programs and event spaces.
• If researching the original Corcoran collection, contact the National Gallery of Art (Washington) which holds much of the Corcoran's works.
• Photograph the building's 19th-century façade and the yard; the architecture is the surviving public face of the institution.