Meade, George, School
Why it's listed
Designed by Irwin T. Catharine, Superintendent of Buildings for the Philadelphia School Board, the George G. Meade School is a public school building in Philadelphia. It was constructed as part of a group of three schools that also included the Robert Fulton School and the George Washington School, and it marked the close of Catharine's career before his retirement in 1937. The building is a Moderne design that reflects a change from the boxy Art Deco style to a more streamlined form. Its entrance is decorated with symbolic figures representing the path to knowledge and learning. The nomination regards the school as an outstanding example of the Moderne style. Its size, scale, materials and restrained detailing are cited as evidence of this quality. Catharine's school designs are described as unsurpassed by other architects working for the School Board in the early twentieth century, including J. Horace Cook and his chief draftsman Henry deCoursey Richards. After his retirement, the office of Superintendent fell into dormancy and school construction in the city dropped sharply.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is an outstanding example of the Moderne style and the work of Irwin T. Catharine, described as a highly important Philadelphia public school architect. It is said to show the shift from boxy Art Deco designs to the more streamlined Moderne mode, with its entrance decorated with symbolic figures.
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 86003305, listed December 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | 1801 Oxford St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003305 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Moderne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 39.97831, -75.16475 (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 86003305.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5542377
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.