{"nrhp_refnum":"80003608","name":"Bishop Mackay-Smith House","other_names":["Franklin School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"251 S. 22nd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94927553000008,"lon":-75.17743928599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-01-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-and-a-half-story brick and brownstone townhouse on the east side of 22nd Street midway between Locust and Spruce Streets in Center City Philadelphia, designed by Theophilus P. Chandler and built 1903-1904 for Rt. Rev. Alexander Mackay-Smith, Bishop-Coadjutor of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is one of the principal examples of the eclectic architecture of the 1880-1910 period on 22nd Street, and an atypical but well-preserved work by Chandler, a prolific residential and ecclesiastical architect. It also stresses the garden open space beside the house as rare in the densely built Center City area.","narrative":"Built in 1903-1904 on 22nd Street in Center City Philadelphia, this three-and-a-half-story house combines dark reddish brick with brownstone trim. Theophilus P. Chandler designed it for Alexander Mackay-Smith, who became Bishop-Coadjutor of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania after arriving in the city in 1902. The arched entry porch, bay above it, and copper-capped slate roof show a restrained version of Chandler's usual style. Interiors include a large English Renaissance hall chamber with a stone fireplace, a panelled dining room with a Jacobean tracery ceiling, and a conservatory with a mosaic floor. The house is valued as one of the principal examples of the 1880-1910 eclectic architecture of the block and as a well-preserved, atypical work by its architect. Its walled garden on the south side is regarded as the last planned garden in a sequence of open spaces along the street, and it remains rare in one of the most densely populated parts of the city.","period_of_significance":"1903-1904","architect_builder":"Theophilus Parsons Chandler (architect); Arthur H. Williams & Sons (builders)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Exterior described as in apparently excellent condition, with later painting of the brownstone and quarry tile on the front steps as the main alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:34.353078-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003608.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003608/4069bb7419-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003608/4069bb7419-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:251_S_22nd_Philly.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:251_S_22nd_Philly.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997248","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_Mackay-Smith_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4917637"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/bishop-mackay-smith-house-80003608/"}