{"nrhp_refnum":"88002323","name":"Smedley, Franklin, School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5199 Mulberry St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.01780311300007,"lon":-75.65983929699996,"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 Collegiate Gothic Revival school building of brick with stone trim on a raised basement, at 21st and Winter Streets (listed address 5199 Mulberry Street) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1927-1928 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine for the School District of Philadelphia.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is significant as part of the 1920s Philadelphia school building program, which added 77 new schools in that decade. It is one of five schools built from the same Type 153 plan, reflecting the district's response to population growth. The form states that its Collegiate Gothic detailing expresses the association with learning and education, and it is considered to warrant listing for its place in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia.","narrative":"Built in 1927-1928 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine for the School District of Philadelphia, this three-story brick school on a raised basement stands at 21st and Winter Streets. It has nine bays of windows on the front, each set within a stone opening, with a stone dripcourse, a beltcourse, and a projecting central entrance with a Tudor-arched opening and the school's name carved above. A crenellated parapet with a stone coping crowns the building. The school belongs to a program of 77 new schools erected in Philadelphia during the 1920s, when population growth and the spread of development drove demand for modern facilities. Catharine used the same plan, Type 153, a Collegiate Gothic model, for five schools across the city, and the Smedley School is one of these identical buildings. The Collegiate Gothic detailing reflects an association with learning and education. The building is regarded as significant for its place in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia.","period_of_significance":"1927-1928","architect_builder":"Irwin T. Catharine (architect)","architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Excellent condition; in use as a school","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.800643-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002323.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002323/c57175042c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002323/c57175042c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smedley_School_NE_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smedley_School_NE_Philly.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993661","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Elementary_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5491832"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/smedley-franklin-school-88002323/"}