{"nrhp_refnum":"88002281","name":"Holmes Junior High School","other_names":["Harambee Institute"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5429--5455 Chestnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95945294100005,"lon":-75.23073906499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-11-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick former junior high school building at Chestnut Street, 5429-5455, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built 1916-1917 with a north wing added in 1917. It was designed by H. deCourcy Richards and built by Warren Moore & Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant as apparently the first junior high school in Philadelphia, which marks the beginning of the city's development of junior high schools. It was organized as a junior high school shortly after opening as an elementary school. The building is nominated as part of the Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic District.","narrative":"Built in 1916-1917 on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, this three-story brick school sits on a raised brick basement and has a stone cornice, brick parapet and a carved stone panel bearing the school's name at its centre. Architect H. deCourcy Richards designed it, and Warren Moore & Company built it. The building was first opened as an elementary school. Shortly afterward, an auditorium and additional rooms were added, and the school was reorganized as a junior high school. The nomination regards it as apparently the first junior high school in Philadelphia, and so an early step in the city's development of schools specifically for that level. A large wing was added to the north elevation in 1917. The building was later renamed the Harambee Institute and still serves as a school. Its significance rests on its role in the evolution of public education in the city.","period_of_significance":"1916-1917","architect_builder":"H. deCourcy Richards (architect); Warren Moore & Company (builder)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Present use is school; the Harambee Institute is the present name.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.673062-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002281.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002281/33a1b356a7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002281/33a1b356a7-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holmes_School_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holmes_School_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/71993767","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_Junior_High_School_(Philadelphia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5883582"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/holmes-junior-high-school-88002281/"}