{"nrhp_refnum":"79002323","name":"Mask and Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"310 S. Quince St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94596760200005,"lon":-75.15975440799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story former coach house and stable at 310 S. Quince Street in Philadelphia, converted into the clubhouse of the Mask & Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania. It was built between 1843 and 1853 and remodeled by Wilson Eyre in 1894 and 1903.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the club is one of America's oldest all-male theatrical organizations, producing original shows each year since its founding in 1889. The clubhouse interior was decorated in part by the young artist Maxfield Parrish, whose early works survive there, and the building reflects the club's long theatrical and musical history.","narrative":"Built as a coach house and stable between 1843 and 1853, this two-story stuccoed brick building at 310 S. Quince Street in Philadelphia became the clubhouse of the Mask & Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania. Architect Wilson Eyre remodeled it in 1894 in a Bavarian style, with oak-planked walls, a large hooded hearth, and a second-floor theater, and enlarged it in 1903 with a front addition. Painter Maxfield Parrish decorated the interior, producing caricatures of club members, an oil canvas of Old King Cole, and stage murals. The club was founded in 1889 and has staged original shows with script, music and choreography each year, making it one of the oldest all-male theatrical organizations in the country. Its big band-era scores by Clay Boland and its annual road tours add to its importance. The building is significant for its interior decoration and its ties to that theatrical tradition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Wilson Eyre (architect)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"The form states the building has had little physical change since 1904 and that the club continues to use it for its annual productions.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.539642-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/79002323.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002323/23d2340a37-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002323/23d2340a37-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"George A. Eisenman, HABS photographer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mask%26Wig.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">George A. Eisenman, HABS photographer</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mask%26Wig.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84003563","name":"Washington Square West Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/washington-square-west-historic-district-84003563/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997088","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3297279"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/mask-and-wig-club-of-the-university-of-pennsylvania-79002323/"}