Conwell, Russell H., School
Why it's listed
Built in 1925-1926 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine, the Russell H. Conwell School is a three-story elementary school of red brick with stone trim, set on a raised basement at East Clearfield Street and Winter Street in Philadelphia. Its central arched entrance has stone surrounds, a projecting two-story stone bay marks the windows, and carved stone panels decorate the end pavilions. Catharine used this plan for several Philadelphia schools, and here he gave it a more elaborate collegiate Gothic treatment than his earlier Georgian and Regency Revival designs. The school is regarded as an example of how the city sought to show an academic, traditional architecture for its post-World War I school construction. It was named for Russell H. Conwell, founder of Temple University, and was one of a small number of demonstration schools built to keep Philadelphia's school system current in both theory and practice.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is significant for its place in the history of education and of school architecture in Philadelphia. It is presented as an example of Catharine's richer collegiate Gothic treatment of a school type he used repeatedly after World War I. It is also described as one of a small number of demonstration schools, and it was named for Russell H. Conwell, founder of Temple University.
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 88002258, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1829--1951 E. Clearfield St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002258 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925-1926 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.99422, -75.11453 (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 88002258.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7381536
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.