Alcorn, James, School
Why it's listed
Yellow brick and stone school at 1500 South 32nd Street in Philadelphia, built in 1931-1932 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine for the Philadelphia public school system. The three-story building has nine window bays, projecting end sections with stone surrounds and carved panels, and a central entrance framed by a two-story stone bay. A crenellated parapet tops the structure, and carved stone highlights the parapet above the central section. Catharine used the same basic plan he had applied to earlier schools, such as the Morrison School of 1922-1924 and the George Wolf School of 1926-1927, but here he chose a richer collegiate Gothic treatment. The building marks his move away from the Georgian and Regency Revival styles he had inherited from earlier Philadelphia school architect Richards. It was retained as a school and is significant for showing how Philadelphia's postwar school expansion adopted traditional academic architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is significant under Criterion C for architecture as a richer example of collegiate or academic Gothic treatment applied by Catharine to a standard school plan. It shows his shift away from earlier Georgian and Regency Revival detailing toward a more pronounced association with ancient academic architecture in Philadelphia's post-World War I school building expansion.
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 88002225, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1500 S. 32nd St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002225 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1931-1932 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | School use |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.93519, -75.19800 (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 88002225.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15229250
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.