Mifflin, Thomas, School
Why it's listed
Built in 1936 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine, the Thomas Mifflin School at 3500 Midvale Avenue is an L-shaped, two-and-a-half-story brick building on a raised basement, with a large brick and wood clock tower where its two wings meet. Its gabled roof has rounded gables, and five openings in a 1-3-1 pattern across each floor are topped by keystone-centered flat arches. Limestone dripcourse and beltcourse trim break up the brickwork between the basement and first floor. The building is one of the last primary schools Catharine designed in the red Georgian Revival manner, and it is more purely Georgian than the related Rowen School at 19th and Haines Streets, which mixes Georgian and Art Moderne features. Its styling is regarded as representative of the many Georgian and Colonial Revival schools Catharine produced for the city. A 1966 addition of matching materials extends the west wing, and a 1968 portable classroom is connected by a corridor. The school is significant for its architecture and for its role within the city's public school building program.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is one of the last primary school buildings Catharine designed in the Georgian Revival style. It is regarded as a representative example of the many Georgian and Colonial Revival schools he designed, and is nominated as part of the Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic group under the architecture criterion.
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 88002301, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3500 Midvale Ave., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002301 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1936 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect); John McShain, Inc. (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as good and integrity as good; present use listed as school; a 1966 addition of matching materials and a 1968 portable classroom connected by a corridor are noted. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Within district | Fairmount Park |
| Coordinates | 40.01358, -75.19155 (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 88002301.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7792442
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.