{"nrhp_refnum":"86003267","name":"Central High School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Olney and Ogontz Aves.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.03744521400006,"lon":-75.13839936999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-12-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Central High School is a Moderne-style school building at Olney and Ogontz Avenues in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, completed in 1937 and designed by Irwin T. Catharine. It occupies a site of about five acres.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is significant in both architecture and education. It is the last of more than 100 school buildings Catharine designed while serving as architect and superintendent of buildings for the School Board, and it closed an era of in-house school design in Philadelphia. As an institution, it is described as one of the oldest high schools in America and the first outside New England, with an entrance examination and a strong record of college preparation.","narrative":"Completed in 1937 at Olney and Ogontz Avenues, Central High School is a brick and limestone building in the Art Moderne style, designed by Irwin T. Catharine. Its E-shaped plan has a seven-register central section flanked by three-register wings, with carved lettering and a City of Philadelphia seal above the entrance. The school is the last of more than 100 buildings Catharine designed for the School Board, and it marked the end of nearly seven decades of in-house school design in Philadelphia. Its significance also rests on its educational history. The institution traces back to the School Law of 1836 and is described as one of the oldest high schools in America. Its entrance examination and record of college preparation gave it a prominent place in the city, and many Philadelphia leaders were among its graduates.","period_of_significance":"1937","architect_builder":"Irwin T. Catharine (architect)","architectural_style":"Art Moderne","criteria":[],"status_note":"Good condition as recorded on the survey form.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.828624-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86003267.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003267/ea312530b4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003267/ea312530b4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"See below","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WTP_B26_Audrey_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">See below</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WTP_B26_Audrey_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993765","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_High_School_(Philadelphia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5061195"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/central-high-school-86003267/"}