Belmont School
Why it's listed
Built in 1927 as a school at Brown and Winter Streets in Philadelphia, the Belmont School is a three-story building of yellow brick on a raised basement, with limestone trim around its openings. Its facade is organized into nine window registers, with a ground-floor entrance and a two-story stone bay in the center. Gothic detailing is applied to the stone surrounding the central opening. Architect Irwin T. Catharine designed the building in the Late Gothic Revival style. It is identical in plan and design to the Andrew Jackson, Eleanor Cope Emlen and Joseph Pennell schools, the first of which was already on the National Register at the time of this listing. A 1967 addition is attached to one rear corner, but it does not connect to the main building. The building is significant for its role in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia, and its integrity is rated as equal to the comparable schools.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its place in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia. It is identical in plan and design to the Andrew Jackson, Eleanor Cope Emlen and Joseph Pennell schools, and the form states it has integrity equal to those buildings. The building is listed under Criterion C for architecture.
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 88002245, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4030--4060 Brown St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002245 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1927 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect); Unknown (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as good with very good integrity; the building is used as a school. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Within district | Fairmount Park |
| Coordinates | 39.96689, -75.20453 (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 88002245.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4884418
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.