Howe, Julia Ward, School
Why it's listed
Built in 1913-1914 by the School District of Philadelphia, this three-story school at 1301-1331 Grange Street is faced in brick with reinforced concrete framing and terra cotta trim. Henry deCourcy Richards, who worked for the district from 1906 to 1918 and designed forty-nine public school buildings, prepared its design. The school belongs to a group of eight schools built from 1912 to 1914 on the same reinforced concrete plan, type 128, which Richards varied through ornament. Its decoration includes a limestone entrance surround, decorative panels between the floors, and a stone beltcourse between the second and third floors. The building is regarded as retaining integrity equal to the Edgar Allen Poe School in the same group. It is listed for its architecture and for what it shows of Philadelphia's school building program, which was driven by a population that grew from 1.3 million in 1900 to over 1.8 million in 1920.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school represents the building program the School Board carried out after its 1905 reorganization through World War I, when the city's population growth led to about 70 new schools. It is significant for its design by Henry deCourcy Richards, who gave variety to a single expandable school plan, and 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 88002284, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1301--1331 Grange St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002284 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1913-1914 |
| Architect / builder | Henry deCourcy Richards (architect); Thomas Reilly (builder) |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.04122, -75.14251 (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 88002284.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6306831
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.