Williams, Roger, Public School No. 10
Also known as: South Scranton Catholic High School
Why it's listed
Built c. 1896 at the corner of Prospect and Beech Streets in Scranton's South Side, this two-story red brick school stands on a rusticated stone foundation beneath a hipped roof. Its central entrance tower, round-headed sandstone arches and stucco wall panels blend Late Victorian massing with Revival-style details. The city's school district, consolidated in 1874, built larger schools like this one during a population boom in the 1880s and 1890s. Named Roger Williams Public School No. 10 in 1916, it served local children until closing in 1941. During the war the building was used as a factory. Bishop William J. Hafey moved a Catholic high school into it in 1947, and a 1965 addition was built to the east and north. Its interior stairs, corridors and classroom trim retain much of their original finish, which is why the building is valued as a rare survivor among the district's early schools.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a well-preserved example of a late nineteenth-century Scranton school, with a high degree of integrity in its exterior and interior public spaces. It is also tied to the consolidation of Scranton's schools and to later Catholic secondary education in the city. The building's architectural form and massing are described as representative of the period.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 97000520, listed June 13, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 901 Prospect Ave., Scranton |
|---|---|
| County | Lackawanna County |
| Listed | June 13, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000520 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1896-1941 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently occupied by Lackawanna Junior College, which purchased the property in 1982; the original roofing has been replaced with asphalt shingles. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.39410, -75.66541 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 97000520.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7359137
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.