{"nrhp_refnum":"88002251","name":"Carnell, Laura H., School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6101 Summerdale Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.038848821000045,"lon":-75.08424684899995,"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 school building with a raised basement, designed by Irwin T. Catharine and built in 1930-1931 in the Frankford area of Philadelphia at 21st and Winter Streets, serving as the Laura H. Carnell School.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is significant for its place in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia. It is presented as one of a group of nine similar schools built during the 1920s and 1930s, showing the proliferation of school buildings in that decade. The building is also described as among the last of Catharine's designs in the Academic or Collegiate Gothic style, and it blends modern Art Deco elements with Gothic traditions.","narrative":"Built in 1930 and 1931 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine, the Laura H. Carnell School is a three-story brick building on a raised basement, set on a site of about 4.5 acres in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. Its eight-register facade is finished with red brick and stone and terra cotta trim, with stone-arched ground floor entrances, a two-story bay at the second and third floors, and a crenellated battlement with four corner towers. The design developed a model Catharine had used on earlier Philadelphia schools since 1922, substituting red brick for the yellow brick of those buildings and blending Gothic detailing with Art Deco forms. A small rear addition was made in 1953. The school is significant for its role in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia. It is one of a group of nine similar schools built during the 1920s and 1930s, and it is among the last of Catharine's designs in the Academic or Collegiate Gothic style. The building retains very good integrity.","period_of_significance":"1930-1931","architect_builder":"Irwin T. Catharine (architect); Unknown (builder)","architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Excellent condition with very good integrity","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.10369-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002251.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002251/fac7d6714a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002251/fac7d6714a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Davidt8","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phila_LauraHCarnellSchool00.png\" rel=\"noopener\">Davidt8</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phila_LauraHCarnellSchool00.png"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993633","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_H._Carnell_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6498960"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/carnell-laura-h-school-88002251/"}