Thomas, George C., Junior High School
Why it's listed
Built in 1920 and 1921 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine, this three-story brick school with stone trim stands on a raised brick basement at South 9th Street and Johnston Street in Philadelphia. Its front has eight bays, with projecting end pavilions holding the entrances and stair towers. Stone dripcourses, a beltcourse at the second-floor sill line, and a stone cornice mark its façade, and the school's name is carved in a stone panel on the brick parapet. The building was constructed from the same design, Type Number 136, as the John M. Patterson School, and it shares its site with the D. Newlin Fell School to the north. The Thomas School is regarded as a fine example of Catharine's early Colonial Revival work. A 1952 rear addition and altered windows have reduced its integrity somewhat, but the building remains recognisable as a product of the city's public school building program of the period.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is a fine representative of Catharine's early Colonial Revival designs and is eligible as part of the Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic District. It was built from the same design as the John M. Patterson School and shares its site with the D. Newlin Fell School, and the three buildings using Type Number 136 together give each other added distinction. The 1952 rear addition and converted windows have reduced its integrity somewhat.
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 88002330, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2746 S. 9th St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002330 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1920-1921 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as excellent with integrity recorded as good; the school is used as a school. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 39.92434, -75.16064 (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 88002330.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5537591
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.