Henry, Charles Wolcott, School
Why it's listed
Built between 1906 and 1908 on West Carpenter Lane in Philadelphia, this two-story red brick school with limestone trim was designed by Henry deCourcy Richards for the School District of Philadelphia. Its façade has a projecting central section with horizontal bands at the corners, keystone-centered lintels, stone sills and a stone dripcourse, and a stone beltcourse runs beneath a wood cornice. A slightly pitched hipped roof covers the building. The design is Richards' first executed work and is identical to the Thomas Buchanan Read School at 78th Street and Buist Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. Construction was interrupted by a bombing in 1906, while the building was under construction. Two additions were erected to the west in 1949-1950 and 1968. The original structure is regarded as surviving intact, and it is considered a good representative of the Georgian and Colonial Revival buildings Richards produced early in his career. Its listing rests on its architectural design.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion C for architecture. It is described as Richards' first executed design and as surviving intact in its original form despite later additions. The original building is said to well represent the Georgian and Colonial Revival style typical of Richards' early work.
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 88002279, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 601--645 W. Carpenter Ln., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002279 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Henry deCourcy Richards (architect); Cramp & Company (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Two additions were built to the west, in 1949-1950 and 1968, and the original building is described as surviving intact. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Within district | Fairmount Park |
| Coordinates | 40.04592, -75.19656 (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 88002279.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5083675
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.