Richmond School
Why it's listed
A three-story brick school on a raised basement at 2942 Belgrade Street in Philadelphia, completed in 1928-1929 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine for the School District of Philadelphia. The building has nine bays with stone window surrounds, a stone dripcourse and beltcourse, and a projecting central entrance with a Tudor-arched opening and the school's name carved above it. A crenellated parapet with a stone coping crowns the facade. The design is a standard Collegiate Gothic type, Type 153, which Catharine used for five schools in different parts of the city. It was built during a 1920s program in which the district erected 77 new schools and 24 additions to meet growth in population and development. The building is regarded as retaining an exceptionally high level of integrity. Its significance lies in its role in the history of education and school architecture in Philadelphia. A non-contributing portable classroom of 1966 stands on the same parcel.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is significant for its place in the history of education and of school architecture in Philadelphia. It is one of a series of schools built during a 1920s building program, using a standardized Collegiate Gothic plan that Catharine used for several buildings. The form states the school possesses an extraordinarily high degree of integrity.
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 88002316, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2942 Belgrade St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002316 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1928-1929 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current use listed as school; condition excellent |
| Acreage | 2.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.98342, -75.11041 (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 88002316.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7330985
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.