Peirce, William S., School
Why it's listed
Built in 1928-1929 at 2400 Christian Street in Philadelphia, the Peirce School is a four-story, nine-bay brick building on a raised basement, with stone beltcourses, limestone capitals on full-height pilasters, and a projecting one-story entrance bearing the school's name carved into it. It was designed by Irwin T. Catharine for the School District of Philadelphia during a decade when the district erected 77 new schools. Catharine reused plans across several schools; the Peirce School follows Type 153-A, a version of an earlier design with an added floor and more ornamentation. Its Collegiate Gothic styling links it to buildings of learning and education. The building is regarded as a representative example of the district's 1920s neighborhood school program and of how Catharine's standard plans could be expanded to meet growing enrollment. It is listed for its significance in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its place in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia. It is presented as an example of Catharine's standardized school plans, here in the Collegiate Gothic style, adapted to meet the space needs of neighborhood schools during a period of rapid growth in the district's facilities.
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 88002307, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2400 Christian St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002307 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1928-1929 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival; Collegiate Gothic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | School use; condition recorded as excellent |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 39.94170, -75.18316 (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 88002307.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8017996
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.