Vare, Edwin H., Junior High School
Why it's listed
Built between 1922 and 1924 in Philadelphia, the Edwin H. Vare Junior High School is a three-story brick building on a raised basement, set at 21st and Winter Streets. Its front is laid out in a shallow W-shaped plan, with a central pavilion of stone that bears the school's name above the third floor and a balcony at the top. The first floor has arched entrance openings separated by stone pilasters, and the upper floors have stone sills and keystone-center lintels. The building was one of eight identical schools erected by the School District of Philadelphia in these years, all built from a model devised by Irwin T. Catharine. The district undertook the program in response to changing educational theory, and the Vare School was among the first buildings designed specifically as junior high schools. Its size was exceeded only by the senior high schools of the previous decade. It is regarded as representing both a new approach to pedagogy and the architectural planning that met that need.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school represents the School District of Philadelphia's post-World War I program of building schools specifically as junior high schools, a change in educational practice. It was one of eight identical buildings erected from this model in 1922-1924 and was large for its era. The building is said to retain very good 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 88002331, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2102 S. 24th St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002331 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1922-1924 |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect); school district construction |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 39.92584, -75.18569 (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 88002331.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5346482
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.