Taylor, Bayard, School
Why it's listed
Built in 1907-1908 to designs by Henry deCourcy Richards, the Bayard Taylor School is a three-story brick building on a raised brick basement at the corner of Randolph Street and Erie Avenue in Philadelphia. Its front facade is shaped in a W, with Gothic-derived entrance pavilions fronting recessed stair towers. Bands of five windows fill most of the bays on each floor, and stone beltcourses divide the levels. A brick parapet with stylized rounded gable centers finishes the non-stair sections. The north end has blind arches with stone detailing above the central openings. A one-story addition from 1968 extends to the south of the original block. The building is significant for its architecture: Richards combined earlier school design elements into a new and distinctive style, and the nomination identifies it as the only building of this type. It is listed as a contributing building in the Philadelphia Public Schools thematic group.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is an early work by Richards that distills earlier styles into a distinctive design of its own. It is described as the only example of its style, using School Board Type Number 114. It is treated as a contributing resource within the Philadelphia Public Schools thematic group.
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 88002329, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3614--3630 N. Randolph St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002329 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Henry deCourcy Richards (architect); David Peoples (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival/Late Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Good condition; a one-story addition erected in 1968 sits generally at the basement level of the original building. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.00699, -75.13822 (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 88002329.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4874347
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.