Durham, Thomas, School
Why it's listed
Thomas Durham School is a three-story, five-register brick building on a raised basement at 1600 Lombard Street in Philadelphia. Built in 1909-1910, it has limestone trim, stone beltcourses above the basement and the third floor, and a carved stone panel bearing the school's name at the top of the front facade. Henry deCourcy Richards designed it for the School District of Philadelphia, which began a large building program after its reorganization in 1905. Under Richards and Superintendent of Buildings J. Horace Cook, the district built dozens of schools in many styles. Durham is described as a very spare, Regency-inspired design and ranks among Richards's simplest works, and it was also one of the least expensive of the group to build. The survey suggests this plainness may relate to its location in a predominantly Black neighborhood. It was listed for its architecture and its place in the history of Philadelphia school design.
Significance in brief: It is an example of the variety and versatility of Henry deCourcy Richards within the School District of Philadelphia's major school construction program after 1905. It is among his simplest and least expensive designs, a spare Regency-inspired building. It is also significant for its place in 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 88002265, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1600 Lombard St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002265 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1909-1910 |
| Architect / builder | Architect: Henry deCourcy Richards; builder: Cramp & Co |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (described in the text as a very spare Regency-inspired building) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition rated good and integrity very good; still used as a school at the time of the survey form. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Washington Square West Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.94478, -75.16912 (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 88002265.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7789123
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.