{"nrhp_refnum":"88002291","name":"Lea, Henry C., School of Practice","other_names":["Henry C. Lea School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"242 S. 47th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95398447000008,"lon":-75.21643753199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-11-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story, brick-faced reinforced concrete school building at 242 S. 47th Street (also 4700 Locust Street) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built in 1914 from a School Board design by H. DeCourcy Richards, with construction by Cramp & Company.","why_significant":"The form argues the school was one of the first buildings designed as a demonstration school, a concept later expanded in the 1920s. It is also presented as a good example of the Late Gothic Revival style Richards used for many of his 1910 schools. The building retains most of its original integrity despite unsympathetic rear additions. It is nominated as part of the Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic District.","narrative":"Built in 1914 at 47th Street and Locust Street in Philadelphia, the Henry C. Lea School is a three-story brick-faced reinforced concrete building with terra cotta and granite trim. Architect H. DeCourcy Richards designed it in the Late Gothic Revival style he used for many of his 1910 schools, and Cramp & Company built it. A classical limestone entrance surround marks the center of the main façade, and five stepped registers of double-hung windows run across the front. It was one of seven schools erected from School Board Type Number 128 between 1912 and 1914. The building is significant as one of the first designed as a demonstration school, a teaching concept later expanded in the 1920s. Additions made in 1954 and at an undated time sit at the rear, but the original building keeps most of its integrity. It was nominated for its role in early education design and its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1914","architect_builder":"H. DeCourcy Richards (architect); Cramp & Company (builder)","architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Good condition; in school use","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.496093-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002291.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002291/78f14fc62e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002291/78f14fc62e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lea_School_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lea_School_Philly.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"97001669","name":"West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/west-philadelphia-streetcar-suburb-historic-district-97001669/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993745","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_C._Lea_Elementary_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5719027"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/lea-henry-c-school-of-practice-88002291/"}