Bache, Alexander Dallas, School
Why it's listed
Built around 1906 as a public school in Philadelphia, the Bache School was designed by Lloyd Titus, the chief draftsman of the city's school system. Its Romanesque Revival design is unusual for its date, since that style was most often used for schools built from the late 1860s to the 1880s, and few schools from about 1900 follow it. The building has an L-shaped plan with a single loaded corridor and multi-purpose rooms, a layout that recalls earlier Philadelphia school interiors based on the Sloan plan. The school is contrasted with the Thomas A. Edison School, another Titus design, which had some of the first special-purpose rooms used in twentieth-century Philadelphia public schools. The nomination regards the Bache School as an exceptionally intact example of high-quality turn-of-the-century school architecture in the city, and as one of Titus's most significant works because of its late use of the Romanesque Revival style.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is an unusual late example of the Romanesque Revival style, which was most often used for schools built from the late 1860s to the 1880s. It is described as an exceptionally intact example of high-quality turn-of-the-century school architecture in Philadelphia. Its L-shaped plan with a single loaded corridor and multi-purpose rooms is said to recall earlier school interiors.
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 86003262, listed December 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 801 N. Twenty-second St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003262 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Lloyd Titus (Chief Draftsman, Philadelphia Board of Public Education) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Spring Garden District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 39.97000, -75.17363 (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 86003262.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4718687
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.