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Adolf Cluss: Brick Master
This building was designed by German-American architect Adolf Cluss (1825-1905), who was one of the 19th-century Washington, DC's pre-eminent architects. Cluss popularized the rundbogenstil, on round-arch style, reflected in his other buildings like Eastern Market, the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, and the Sumner School. Cluss was well known for his prolific use of red brick, helping the humble material rise in status throughout Washington from the 1860s through the 1880s.
Cluss also employed technological innovations at the Franklin School. He used the latest fireproof construction techniques and designed a new heating and ventilating system, wherein low-pressure steam heat moved through a series of arched brick ducts and flues. The inclusion of indoor restrooms was also novel at the time. These pioneering design solutions coupled with fine finishes throughout the school had the desired effect of impressing students, the general public, and the government, and demand for attendance exceeded the available space from the outset. |