The Corcoran Gallery of Art has agreed to pay $6.2 million to buy the Randall School from the District of Columbia. “But gaining the site wasn’t easy. A holdover from the early 20th century, the building was last used as a school in 1978. The city installed a men’s shelter in part of the building, and artists leased other parts for studios. When the Corcoran’s plans were announced two years ago, advocates for the homeless protested, as did the artists, who complained about the lack of affordable studio space in Washington.”