Kensington High School for Girls
Why it's listed
Built in 1916-1917 by the School District of Philadelphia, this three-and-a-half-story building at 21st and Winter Streets is a red brick structure over reinforced concrete, with limestone sills, lintels and dripcourses. Its southern elevation has nine projecting and recessed bays, with entrances and stairwells in the second and eighth registers, and its auditorium occupies the projecting far-right bay. The interior originally held 42 classrooms, lecture, lunch and faculty rooms, a library, an auditorium, a gymnasium, and four domestic science rooms, arranged for the school's curriculum. Designed by H. deCourcy Richards Reilly in a Jacobethan manner, it was the second neighborhood high school in the city built specifically for girls, after William Penn High School for Girls of 1908-1909. The School District generally custom-designed its high schools, and this building is significant for its role in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia, and for its place in the persistence of single-sex public schooling.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is the second neighborhood high school in Philadelphia designed and built specifically for girls, following William Penn High School for Girls. It reflects the School Board's policy of distinctive custom design for each high school and the continued existence of single-sex public education. It is regarded as significant for its place in the history of pedagogy and of 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 88002288, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2075 E. Cumberland St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002288 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1916-1917 |
| Architect / builder | H. deCourcy Richards Reilly (architect) |
| Architectural style | Jacobethan (Tudor Revival listed as style on form) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Form rates condition as good to excellent; no current use is stated. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 39.98466, -75.12611 (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 88002288.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6391451
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.