GW to Sell Old Fillmore School

As soon as GW acquired the hollow husk of what will previously have been known as the Corcoran Art Gallery, GM began to wonder what will happen to the old Fillmore School on 35th, which the Corcoran art school owns. Now we know that they will indeed sell it.

There is some history to the possible sale of this building. Back in 2010, the Corcoran entered an agreement with Eastbanc to sell the historic school building (which the art school had owned and used for studios since 1998). Eastbanc planned to turn the building into about 15 condos. They also planned to build townhouses on the building’s parking lot. Some area residents expressed concerns about the project (particularly about the preservation of the playground) but before it got very far, the deal was called off over “timing” issues. The Corcoran art school has continued to use the building for art studios ever since.

So when GW acquired the real estate of the Corcoran, it included the Fillmore School. From one perspective, it’s a no-brainer to sell the school as an extraneous asset. But from another perspective, GW is a voracious land swallowing monster. So GM was genuinely curious to see which interest would win out.

GM doesn’t know whether Eastbanc remains interested in the property. If it’s not them, though, there are surely a dozen other developers ready to pounce on the property. And on that day, the building will finally cease being a brick temple of learning. That will be a sad day.