A letter from a D.C. Historic Preservation officer said that tin ceilings, wainscotting, and wall finishes were removed from the Franklin School in renovation. (Photo by Rachel Sadon)

The D.C. government on Tuesday ordered a halt to renovations of the Franklin School downtown after an inspection found that interiors of the historic site had been removed in construction. The Washington Business Journal was the first to report the news.

The Franklin School is the future home of Planet Word, an interactive language arts museum set to open in winter 2019. The museum is a project from philanthropist Ann Friedman.

In exchange for a free 99-year lease on the building from the city, Friedman agreed to put up $20 million of her own funds to renovate the Franklin School, which is designated a National Historic Landmark.

The museum’s team has a construction permit that allows for the “abatement of hazardous materials,” per the Washington Post, but after a site tour conducted last week, the National Capital Planning Commission said that the team removed parts of the building’s interior finishing, exceeding its permits. As a historic landmark, most of the Franklin School’s interior is protected.

Citing a letter from D.C. Historic Preservation Officer David Maloney to Friedman dated August 30, WBJ reported that plaster wall finishes, structural walls, wainscotting, and tin ceilings were removed from the building and destroyed.

Planet Word is the latest occupant of the historic downtown building. Originally built in 1869 as the District’s first high school, it’s since housed a homeless shelter, Alexander Graham Bell’s workshop, an adult education center, Occupy protestors, and administrative headquarters. It was slated to become a contemporary art museum, before Mayor Muriel Bowser pulled that plan.