Sharswood, George, School
Why it's listed
Built between 1906 and 1908 as a school for the School District of Philadelphia, this three-story brick building with granite trimmings stands at 200 Wolf Street. Its design follows the Colonial Revival style, with projecting end sections, a stair tower, stone belt and cornice courses, and a brick and stone parapet. It was one of three schools constructed at the same time as the first District buildings of fireproof construction, following reforms made in 1905 that brought in a full-time architect and new construction standards. Originally designed for 24 classrooms, it was the only one of these buildings built from School Board Type Number 111. In 1915, H. deCourcy Richards designed additions that raised the total to 42 classrooms, and P. J. Hurley served as contractor for the work. The school is listed for its architecture and its importance to the design of Philadelphia's public schools in the early twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is important for school design. It was one of the first District buildings of fireproof construction, built after the 1905 school reforms that introduced a full-time architect and new construction standards. It was the only one built from School Board Type Number 111, and it was originally designed with 24 classrooms.
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 88002320, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 200 Wolf St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002320 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1906-1908 |
| Architect / builder | H. deCourcy Richards (architect); Charles McCaul Comp. (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; the document does not state current use beyond school use. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 39.91877, -75.15080 (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 88002320.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5544466
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.