{"nrhp_refnum":"88002283","name":"Houston, Henry H., School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"135 W. Allen's Ln.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.05898735900007,"lon":-75.19472436999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-04-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick school building at 135 W. Allen's Lane (21st and Winter Streets) in Philadelphia, built 1926-1927 with stone trimmings and a raised basement. It is one of five schools built from School Board Type Number 153 plans.","why_significant":"The evaluation states it warrants listing for its place in the history of education and of school architecture in Philadelphia. The form notes it is less flamboyant than other designs by architect Irwin T. Catharine of the period. The applicable criterion marked is C, Architecture.","narrative":"Built in 1926-1927 from School Board Type Number 153 plans by architect Irwin T. Catharine, the Henry H. Houston School is a three-story brick building on a raised basement, with stone trimmings and a crenellated parapet. Its central bay has a projecting stone entryway with a Tudor-arched opening and the school's name carved above it. The side elevation has triple-sash windows and a projecting second bay with stone surrounds. Catharine designed one of five schools built to this type in Philadelphia, the others being the Avery Harrington, William H. Harrison, Franklin Seedley and Richmond schools, completed between 1926 and 1929. The building was given an addition in 1954, which is noted as a rear addition. The property was listed for its contribution to the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia, and it is a representative example of the city's public school design of the late 1920s. The site covers 2.3 acres.","period_of_significance":"1926-1927","architect_builder":"Irwin T. Catharine (architect)","architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Listed as a school; the document gives no current use or condition beyond a good condition rating on the survey.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.156653-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002283.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002283/7d395d5dca-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002283/7d395d5dca-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_School_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_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/71993647","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_H._Houston_Elementary_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5722390"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/houston-henry-h-school-88002283/"}