Read, Thomas Buchanan, School
Why it's listed
Built in 1908 at 78th and Buist Avenue in far southwestern Philadelphia, close to the Delaware County line, the Thomas Buchanan Read School is a two-storey building in the Georgian Revival style at domestic scale. Henry deCoursey Richards, chief draftsman for the Philadelphia School Board from 1906 to 1916, designed it. Richards produced many large Colonial and Classical Revival schools across the city, but the Board rarely asked him for a building this small. The site was remote at the time, yet a 1910 Board map showed District 1 as one of the largest outlying districts, with many students spread across the area. The school opened with 282 pupils in grades one through seven and grew to 577 by 1920, close to its capacity of 576. Its scale and style make it one of only two domestic-scale public schools of this type in the thematic group, which is the basis for its listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is a handsome, intact example of a domestic-scale Georgian Revival school. Richards mostly designed large Colonial and Classical Revival schools, so this smaller building is distinctive. It is one of only two domestic-scale public schools of this style in the thematic group, the other being Olney Elementary School.
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 86003325, listed December 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Seventy-eighth and Buist Ave., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003325 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Henry deCoursey Richards (architect/chief draftsman, Philadelphia School Board) |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.90662, -75.24788 (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 86003325.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7788000
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.