Existing comment:
Ground Breaking
The Planet Word building originally served as the Franklin School. Constructed between 1865 and 1869, it was part of a groundbreaking experiment based on the idea that universal access to public education was essential to the survival of democratic society. It the 19th and early 20th centuries, Franklin School served as a laboratory for developing a modern public school program that included grading and curriculum, vocational education, high school, and professional training and standards for teachers.
The Franklin School was the flagship and prototype building of a group of seven modern urban public schools constructed between 1862 and 1875 to house the first comprehensive free universal public education program in the nation's capital, albeit still segregated by race and separated by gender. Until about 1900, all new public school buildings in DC were based on Cluss's prototypical design. Today, only the Sumner and Franklin schools survive from the original seven.
Some unique elements at the Franklin School include the turreted octagonal ventilation towers, patterned mansard roof, timber-frame roof truss system, twin cast iron staircases, and Great Hall with trompe l'oeil fresco secco wall decorations. The building design was intended to inspire students and create a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing environment for learning. Each classroom originally had a semicircular teacher's niche with a raised platform facing the students, which allowed clear sightlines between the instructors and students. The niche also acted as a sounding board, improving acoustics. |