Cooke, Jay, Junior High School
Why it's listed
Built in 1922-1924 to a design by Irwin T. Catharine, the Jay Cooke Junior High School is a three-story brick building on a raised stone basement at Old York Road and Louden Street in Philadelphia. Its shallow W-shaped front has a projecting central pavilion with a stone first floor, arched entrances, and the school's name carved above the third floor. The flanking sections have brick first floors, stone sills and keystone lintels, and a stone cornice below the brick parapet. The School District of Philadelphia began building junior high schools after World War I, and this building was one of eight identical schools erected from the JHS-4 model between 1922 and 1924. The contract was let in April 1922, the month after the Edwin H. Vare School. The building is significant for its role in that program, both as an early example of purpose-built junior high architecture and for its preserved design. It was listed in 1988 as part of a thematic group of Philadelphia public schools.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school represents the School District of Philadelphia's post-World War I program of building junior high schools designed specifically for that purpose. It describes the building as one of eight identical schools erected from the JHS-4 model in 1922-1924, and states that it possesses excellent integrity. It is nominated as part of the Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic District.
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 88002259, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4735 Old York Rd., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002259 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1922-1924 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Good condition with excellent integrity, as stated on the form; current use is not stated. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 40.02554, -75.14611 (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 88002259.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6166508
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.