{"nrhp_refnum":"86003286","name":"Furness, Horace, Junior High School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1900 S. Third St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.92336450100004,"lon":-75.15080798499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-12-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Furness Junior High School is a school building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, constructed in 1912 by the city's School Board.","why_significant":"The building is the first example of its specific design built by the School Board, and it is described as a one-of-a-kind school design in an era of uniform school architecture. It is presented as an exceptionally intact, highly detailed example of Gothic design by Henry deCoursey Richards, with intricate detailing rarely found on academic buildings. It is compared with the Mitchell and Kinsey schools, which share its design features.","narrative":"Built in 1912 in Philadelphia, this junior high school was the first building of its design put up by the city's School Board. Chief draftsman Henry deCoursey Richards, working under Superintendent J. Horace Cook, created a Gothic-styled building that stood out in a school system where designs had become largely uniform. Two other variations of the same building type, number 130, exist, but this one is described as an exceptionally intact and highly detailed example of Richards' Gothic work. It is compared with the Mitchell and Kinsey schools, which share its design features. Its interior was planned as a wide U-shape, with a central auditorium and classrooms along a single-loaded corridor that became double-loaded at the building ends. Richards' ornamental detailing, rarely seen on academic buildings of the period, is the main basis for its significance, marking it as an exceptionally detailed Gothic design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Henry deCoursey Richards (designer, chief draftsman)","architectural_style":"Gothic (Gothicized design)","criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.895311-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86003286.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003286/411c2ae836-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003286/411c2ae836-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Furness_School_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Furness_School_Philly.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993462","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furness_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5509653"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/furness-horace-junior-high-school-86003286/"}