Preservationists Aim To Protect Corcoran Interior

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Historic preservationists are nominating the interior of the Corcoran Gallery of Art as an architectural landmark to try to protect the building as the struggling museum considers selling it.

The D.C. Preservation League announced Tuesday that it has filed paperwork to amend the Corcoran's existing D.C. landmark designation to include its interior. The 1897 building near the White House also was designated a national landmark in 1992.

Rebecca Miller, the preservation league's director, says the building's 1992 designation already notes the Corcoran's exterior and interior make it the capital's premiere example of French Beaux-Arts architecture.

The D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board must decide on protecting the interior. A landmark designation could affect the building's market value.

Corcoran officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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