{"nrhp_refnum":"88002314","name":"Pennypacker, Samuel W., School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1800--1850 E. Washington Ln.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.065168603000075,"lon":-75.15897629299997,"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, eight-bay brick school building on a raised basement at East Washington Lane in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1929-1930 for the School District of Philadelphia.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant for its place in the history of education and of school architecture in Philadelphia. It is presented as one of a group of schools built on the same model by Irwin T. Catharine, combining Academic Gothic detailing with Art Deco features. The form notes that it was among Catharine's last designs in the Academic or Collegiate Gothic style and that it retains excellent integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1929-1930 on East Washington Lane in Germantown, this three-story, eight-bay brick school sits on a raised basement and is faced with terra cotta trim and stone entryways. Designed by Irwin T. Catharine for the School District of Philadelphia, it follows a plan he used for a group of schools erected between 1924 and 1930. Its design blends Academic Gothic forms, such as a crenellated battlement topped by four small corner towers, with Art Deco motifs, including a large diapered brick panel and stone bays rising through the second and third floors. The building is regarded as one of the final Academic or Collegiate Gothic designs by Catharine and as a clear example of the school construction boom of the 1920s in Philadelphia. It remains in excellent condition and retains its original character, which is why it is considered important for the history of education and school architecture in the city.","period_of_significance":"1929-1930","architect_builder":"Irwin T. Catharine (architect)","architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Excellent condition","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:38.085438-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002314.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002314/03ec05898b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002314/03ec05898b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pennypacker_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pennypacker_Philly.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993657","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_W._Pennypacker_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7412845"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/pennypacker-samuel-w-school-88002314/"}