{"nrhp_refnum":"88002247","name":"Muhlenberg School","other_names":["Bishop Miller Tabernacle Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1640 Master St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.974794658000064,"lon":-75.16321782299997,"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 two-story, cruciform stone school building at Master Street and 17th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, constructed 1874-1875. It later served as Bishop Miller Tabernacle Church and National Temple Baptist Church.","why_significant":"The building was designed by Lewis Esler, architect for the Controllers of the Public Schools from 1867 to 1883. It is described as the sole surviving Esler school with a cruciform plan, a plan once common in Philadelphia schools. The form argues its integrity warrants inclusion as part of the Philadelphia Public Schools thematic group under architecture.","narrative":"Built in 1874-1875 in Philadelphia, this two-story stone school stands at Master and 17th Streets. Its plan is cruciform, with the central sections of the long sides projecting and the central register projecting on the east and west elevations. Segmental-arched openings with keystones, a bracketed wood cornice, circular openings in the gables, and a stone beltcourse between the floors give it its character. Lewis Esler, architect for the Controllers of the Public Schools from 1867 to 1883, designed it. Many of his school designs drew on earlier models by James C. Sidney and others. Of the seven surviving Esler schools, this is the only one with a cruciform plan, a layout once common among Philadelphia schools. The building was later used as a church, and was in poor condition when it was listed. It was listed for its architectural importance as a member of the Philadelphia Public Schools thematic group.","period_of_significance":"1874-1875","architect_builder":"Lewis Esler (architect); Columbus Tweed (builder)","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Poor condition; rehabilitation for elderly housing was underway subject to Philadelphia Historical Commission review.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.766531-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002247.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002247/b9085d3dd6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002247/b9085d3dd6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muhlenberg_School.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muhlenberg_School.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993617","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhlenberg_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6933041"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/muhlenberg-school-88002247/"}