Kirkbride, Eliza Butler, School
Why it's listed
Built in 1925-1926 to a design by Irwin T. Catharine, this four-story school at Dickinson and Seventh Streets in south Philadelphia is a brick-faced concrete building with limestone trim. The projecting center entrance has a Gothic surround with floral and heraldic plaques in the spandrel. Each of the five stories has three openings set with limestone sills and lintels, and a limestone dripcourse runs above the basement windows. A crenellated limestone parapet tops the building. The panels between the floors on the projecting end sections were a standard feature of Catharine's designs and often held the datestone. McCloskey & Company built the school. The building was designed as School Board Type Number 143 and was used for only one other building, the Walter George Smith School. It is regarded as a finely ornamented example of the Late Gothic Revival schools Catharine designed during the 1920s. Its significance rests on its architecture, and the property consists of the single school building and its associated land.
Significance in brief: The building is one of the Philadelphia Public Schools designed by Catharine in the Late Gothic Revival style that he used widely during the 1920s. Its floral and heraldic plaques are described as a finely ornamented example of that style. The nomination argues it is significant for its architecture and was listed as part of the Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic Resource.
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 88002290, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 626 Dickinson St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002290 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925-1926 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect); McCloskey & Company (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as good; the document does not state a current use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.93012, -75.15609 (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 88002290.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5362109
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.