{"nrhp_refnum":"96001204","name":"St. Joseph's House for Homeless Industrious Boys","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1511 and 1515--1527 Allegheny Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.00165460000005,"lon":-75.15566667999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-10-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former Catholic orphanage complex at Allegheny Avenue and 16th Street in North Philadelphia, consisting of a main Romanesque Revival building of Bessemer brick erected in 1929, a 1940 gymnasium/auditorium addition, and related shop, printing and house buildings. The institution was founded in 1888 for homeless boys aged 12 to 16.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the property is significant for its role in child welfare and education, as St. Joseph's House was among the pioneering Catholic institutions in Philadelphia to offer vocational training and schooling to older boys. Its Romanesque Revival orphanage is presented as a handsome example of the work of the Hoffman-Henon Company, and the complex as a whole is cited as representative of institutional child housing.","narrative":"Built in 1929 on Allegheny Avenue at 16th Street in North Philadelphia, the four-story orphanage was designed by the Hoffman-Henon Company in Romanesque Revival style, faced in Bessemer brick over concrete, with a limestone entrance bearing the institution's name. A 1940 gymnasium and auditorium extends along 16th Street, and a printing shop, a Tudor Revival auto house and a Second Empire dwelling complete the group. The institution was founded in 1888 by Reverend Eugene V. McElhone for homeless boys aged 12 to 16, who were taught trades such as printing, shoemaking and tailoring while earning wages. Its vocational and schooling approach is regarded as progressive for its period, and the boys' high school classes began in 1934. The complex is significant for its association with child welfare and education in Philadelphia and for its architecture as a representative institutional building of its era.","period_of_significance":"1929-1946","architect_builder":"Hoffman-Henon, Co. (architect); Getz, Peter F. (architect); McCloskey & Company (builder); Farrell, Joseph R. (builder)","architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival; Second Empire; Tudor Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Orphanage closed by the mid-1970s after the remaining boys were moved to group homes in 1979; the document notes deterioration from neglect and that the summer house in Sea Isle City, NJ, is still used today.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.952994-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/96001204.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001204/a93feb1946-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001204/a93feb1946-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Joes_Homeless_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Joes_Homeless_Philly.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997552","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_House_for_Homeless_Industrious_Boys","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7589193"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/st-josephs-house-for-homeless-industrious-boys-96001204/"}