Comly, Watson, School
Also known as: Somerton Masonic Hall
Why it's listed
Built in 1892-1893 in Somerton, then a rural village in Northeast Philadelphia, the Watson Comly School is a two-story brownstone building with a large hipped roof, a one-story stone entrance pavilion, and tall, narrow rectangular openings on its front facade. Joseph Anschutz designed it in a simplified Colonial Revival style with four classrooms, two per floor, suited to a country school. Anschutz used the same plan for one other school, Fox Chase No. 2 (1893), which has since been demolished. As the automobile and suburban growth reached the Northeast, the school became obsolete, and the School District traded it in 1928 for a larger parcel owned by the Somerton Masonic Lodge. The lodge now occupies the building. It is considered a rare surviving example of rural school architecture in Philadelphia and is listed for its significance to the history of education and school design in the city.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a rare surviving example of essentially rural school architecture in Philadelphia. Its simplified colonial style reflects a country school rather than the more sophisticated city schools of its time. It is also associated with the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia.
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 88002324, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 13250 Trevose Rd., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002324 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1892-1893 |
| Architect / builder | Joseph Anschutz (architect); L. Dieterich (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a Masonic lodge; the School District traded the school in 1928 to the Somerton Masonic Lodge, which occupies the former school building. Condition listed as good. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Coordinates | 40.12528, -75.01428 (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 88002324.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7974810
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.