Shaw, Anna Howard, Junior High School
Why it's listed
Built in 1922-1924 by the School District of Philadelphia, this three-story brick building with stone trim sits on a raised stone basement at 21st and Winter Streets. Its front is shaped as a shallow W, with a projecting central pavilion topped by a balcony and a stone course bearing the school's name. Arched entrances with stone keystones and pilasters mark the stone first floor, and a brick parapet with a stone cornice crowns the roofline. The school was one of eight identical buildings erected from a model devised by Irwin T. Catharine, and its contract followed a period when the district began designing schools specifically as junior high schools. Its size was exceeded only by the senior high schools of the previous decade. It is regarded as an example of changing approaches to teaching and to school design in Philadelphia, and it retains excellent integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school represents the district's post-World War I program of building schools designed specifically as junior high schools, a change tied to new educational theory. It describes the building as large for its era and in excellent integrity, and says it is significant for its place in the history of pedagogy and school architecture.
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 88002321, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5401 Warrington St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002321 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1922-1924 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect); School District of Philadelphia (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current use is listed as school. |
| Acreage | 3.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.94162, -75.22670 (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 88002321.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4767092
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.