Wagner, Gen. Louis, Junior High School
Why it's listed
Built in 1927 to designs by Irwin T. Catharine, Wagner Junior High School is a Classical Revival public school in Philadelphia. Catharine was the son of School Board member Joseph Catharine and studied architecture at Drexel Institute in preparation for work with the School Board. He served as Head Draftsman from 1919 and drew the plans for this school during that period. In 1930 he became Superintendent of Buildings, a post he held until retiring in 1937. The building is a simplified example of the Classical Revival school type that was widespread in Philadelphia in the early twentieth century. It is less elaborately detailed than the W. and E. Martin School and the Julia Masterman School, also Catharine designs in the same thematic group. Its monumental scale and long horizontal massing are more striking than either of those schools, which is the basis for its distinction within Catharine's body of public school work.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the school as a relatively simplified example of Classical Revival school design common in Philadelphia in the early twentieth century. It is regarded as a distinctive Neo-Classical public school design by Catharine, with monumental scale and long horizontal lines that set it apart from two other Catharine schools in the same 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 86003340, listed December 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Seventeenth and Chelton Sts., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003340 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Irwin T. Catharine (architect) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.05149, -75.14757 (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 86003340.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5530813
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.