Wilmot, David, School
Also known as: J.C. King Educational Building
Why it's listed
A two-story stone schoolhouse at 1734 Meadow Street in Philadelphia was completed in 1874 and built by William Keas from plans by Lewis H. Esler, the School Board architect. Its design follows the type of two-classroom school promoted by James C. Sidney in 1866 and 1867, and Esler is said to have followed those plans closely. The building has four registers of stone walls, brownstone sills and arches over every opening, and a gable above the right-center opening. A rear addition from 1908, designed by H. deCourcy Richards and built by Lynch Brothers, continues the same wall surface. The building was originally the David Wilmot School and was first used as a private school. It is one of few surviving schools from the period before 1876, and the nomination treats it as a representative example of mid-nineteenth-century Philadelphia school design, recognised for its education history.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is an excellent representation of the typical school building of the 1860s and 1870s, designed by Sidney and Esler, and that it survives in very good condition and integrity. It is one of only fourteen schools built before 1876 that remain standing in Philadelphia. The nomination lists it under Criterion A for education.
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 88002289, listed November 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1734 Meadow St., Phildelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002289 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Lewis H. Esler (architect); William Keas (builder) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Document states the building has survived in very good condition and integrity. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.01371, -75.08094 (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 88002289.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5241189
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.