{"nrhp_refnum":"86003328","name":"Shoemaker, William, Junior High School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1464--1488 N. Fifty-third St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.97549568200003,"lon":-75.22821647799998,"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":"The Shoemaker Junior High School is a school building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed in the Gothic mode. The document does not state its construction date.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a distinctive Gothic public school design by Irwin T. Catharine, a significant Philadelphia public school architect. It is said to be similar in styling, materials and plan to Overbrook High School, and to differ from Catharine's usual designs in having conical piers and less intricate detailing.","narrative":"A Gothic-mode junior high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Shoemaker building is significant chiefly as a design by Irwin T. Catharine, the Philadelphia School Board's architect. Catharine studied architecture at Drexel Institute, became Head Draftsman for the School Board in 1919 after succeeding Henry deCoursey Richards, and was Superintendent of Buildings from 1930 until his retirement in 1937. The school's plan and materials closely resemble those of Overbrook High School, which Catharine also designed in the Gothic style. Catharine's Gothic public schools generally had ornate detailing and square piers, while the Shoemaker building has conical piers and simpler detailing, which sets it apart. Its significance is therefore tied to architecture, as an distinctive example of Catharine's work in a popular revival style.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Irwin T. Catharine (architect)","architectural_style":"Gothic","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 17:11:33.659675-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86003328.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003328/38db9f0987-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003328/38db9f0987-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shoemaker_Jr_HS_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shoemaker_Jr_HS_Philly.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"72001151","name":"Fairmount Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/fairmount-park-72001151/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993472","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastery_Charter_School_Shoemaker_Campus","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8018410"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/shoemaker-william-junior-high-school-86003328/"}