{"nrhp_refnum":"88002246","name":"Birney, Gen. David B., School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"900 W. Lindley St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.02933634200008,"lon":-75.13850029699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-11-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick-faced reinforced concrete school with limestone trim at 900 West Lindley Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built in 1912-1913 to designs by Henry deCourcy Richards with H. H. Wehmeyer as builder.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is significant for its place in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia. It belongs to a group of eight schools built to the same type between 1912 and 1914, and it shows Richards's ability to vary a single expandable structural form and plan. The building is said to retain its integrity despite rear additions of 1927 and 1968.","narrative":"Built in 1912-1913 at 900 West Lindley Street in Philadelphia, this three-story school was designed by Henry deCourcy Richards, who led the design of the School District's buildings from 1906 to 1918. It is constructed of reinforced concrete faced with brick and trimmed with limestone, and its five stepped registers carry double-hung windows with common limestone lintels. A limestone entrance at the center and a projecting side entrance with a large arched opening give the building its character. It is one of eight schools erected in 1912-1914 on the same model, type 128, a group that includes the Edgar Allen Poe School, listed in 1986. The school reflects the School Board's building program from its 1905 reorganization to World War I, a program that accompanied Philadelphia's growth from 1.3 million residents in 1900 to over 1.8 million in 1920. Rear additions of 1927 and 1968 leave its design largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1912-1913","architect_builder":"Henry deCourcy Richards (architect); H. H. Wehmeyer (builder)","architectural_style":"Tudor Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Condition recorded as good, with integrity rated very good.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.018667-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002246.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002246/624fcee367-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002246/624fcee367-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birney_School_Philly_B.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birney_School_Philly_B.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993699","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen._David_B._Birney_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5530789"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/birney-gen-david-b-school-88002246/"}