{"nrhp_refnum":"86003289","name":"Hawthorne, Nathaniel, School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"712 S. Twelfth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94136893700005,"lon":-75.16231888399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-12-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A public school building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built in 1907 under the Philadelphia School Board. It was designed by school architect Henry deCoursey Richards working under Superintendent J. Horace Cook.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is significant as the first fire-proof structure built by the School Board after legislation was enacted in 1906. It marked the beginning of fire-proof school construction in Philadelphia. The Board's concern with safety, lighting, heating and ventilation is presented as the context for this building.","narrative":"Built in 1907 in Philadelphia, the Hawthorne School was designed by school architect Henry deCoursey Richards, working under School Superintendent J. Horace Cook. It was the first fire-proof structure erected by the Philadelphia School Board after state legislation of 1906 required fireproof school construction. The building was part of a wider effort by the Board to improve schools, with attention to adequate light, heating, ventilation and fire safety. Together with its companion, the Willard School, it marked a turning point in the Board's measures to protect students. Cook had joined the Board as an assistant architect in 1887 and became Superintendent of Buildings in 1906, serving until 1918. Its importance rests on being the first fire-proof school built by the Board, which began fireproof construction across the city.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Henry deCoursey Richards (architect); J. Horace Cook (School Superintendent, under whose direction the building was designed)","architectural_style":null,"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 17:11:34.159186-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86003289.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003289/c6eea52a8f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003289/c6eea52a8f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawthorne_School.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawthorne_School.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993517","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6969656"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/hawthorne-nathaniel-school-86003289/"}