Planet Word, DC’s first language arts museum, plans to open in the winter of 2019 according to the museum’s website. The museum will be located in the vacant Franklin School in Downtown DC. 

Per the website, Planet Word will offer “unique, immersive learning experiences” and hopes to address the issue of declining literacy in the United States. According to the museum, 21 percent of adults read below a fifth-grade reading level, and 31 percent of 4th graders do not perform at a basic level on national reading tests. 

The museum aims to bring a different kind of museum to the District through immersive exhibits in a setting that will “show every visitor the fun of words and language everywhere they look – from the menu in the café to the walls in the bathrooms to the floors and the stairwells,” the website explains.

According to schematics in a report from the National Capitol Planning Commission, the museum will have nine galleries, a changing exhibit, retail space, classrooms and event spaces. Exterior changes will include a patio entrance that will serve as a gathering space as well as accessible entry to the museum.

DC’s Historic Preservation Review Board also offered recommendations that emphasize the minimal changes that will be done to the historic integrity of the building.

“The conceptual plans have been thoughtfully developed to respect and celebrate the character of the landmark, and to retain the important character-defining spaces, features and finishes as recognized in the interior designation,” the History Preservation Review Board wrote. “As such, the project is consistent with the preservation act.”