{"nrhp_refnum":"93001608","name":"Philadelphia School of Design for Women","other_names":["Moore College of Art","Forrest House","Gaul-Forrest House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1346 N. Broad St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.97435244250005,"lon":-75.15938839123216,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-11-04","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1993-11-04","areas_of_significance":["Art","Education","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Italianate townhouse at 1346 North Broad Street on the southwest corner of Broad and Master Streets in north Philadelphia, with a one-story gallery/theater addition and a long rear classroom and studio wing. It was built ca. 1853 for brewer William Gaul and later served as the principal building of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women from 1880 to 1959.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is the only remaining historic location of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, which it describes as the first school of industrial design for women in the United States. It also notes the house's association with the actor Edwin Forrest and its later use by the New Freedom Theatre, and it credits the school's graduates and faculty with contributions to American design and art education.","narrative":"Built around 1853 for the brewer William Gaul, this three-story brick townhouse at the southwest corner of Broad and Master Streets in north Philadelphia has a brownstone facade and is attributed to the architect Stephen Decatur Button. Its interior retains ornamental plaster ceilings and a mahogany stair, and Edwin Forrest, the Shakespearean actor, lived there from 1855 to 1872. The Philadelphia School of Design for Women bought the house in 1880 and occupied it until 1959, adding a rear classroom and studio wing attributed to James Windrim. The school is described as the first school of industrial design for women in the United States, founded in 1848 to train women in designing patterns for textiles and printed goods. Among its graduates were Jessie Willcox Smith and Lucille Howard. Later the building housed the New Freedom Theatre, a long-running African American theatre company.","period_of_significance":"1880-1959","architect_builder":"Stephen Decatur Button; James H. Windrim (1880s construction); B. Ketcham & Son (contractor, 1880s construction)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian (Italianate)","criteria":["B"],"status_note":"The second, third, and attic floors are presently vacant; the basement and first-floor spaces are used by the New Freedom Theater; the building is in fair to poor condition with deteriorated masonry.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.319275-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/93001608_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93001608/f8092699e9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93001608/f8092699e9-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Davidt8","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwin_forrest_house01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Davidt8</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwin_forrest_house01.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994339","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Forrest_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5346421"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/philadelphia-school-of-design-for-women-93001608/"}