Wilson, James, Public School
Also known as: Annunciation R.C. School
Why it's listed
Built in 1908-1909 to designs by Henry deCourcy Richards, this three-story brick school on a raised basement stands at Wharton and South 12th Streets in Philadelphia. Richards used the district's standard six-bay plan but gave it Mediterranean ornament: a large stone cornice with brackets, a brick parapet, stone pedimented stair-tower entries with arched openings above, and brick pilasters dividing each bay. The building was constructed as a public school for the Philadelphia School District. Its later use as an elementary school run by the Annunciation parish began after a 1948 acquisition from the district. Its design was the exception to the district's usual choice of Italianate, Gothic and Classical Revival styles. The nearby James Madison School of the same design was demolished, so this is the only surviving example of that short-lived approach. The nomination treats it as important for the history of education and of school architecture in Philadelphia.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to be significant for its place in the history of education and of school architecture in Philadelphia. Architect Henry deCourcy Richards applied a distinctly Mediterranean ornamentation to a standard three-story form, a departure from the district's usual styles. The James Madison School, built on the same plan, has been demolished, leaving this building as the sole survivor of that short-lived experiment.
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 88002238, listed December 12, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1148 Wharton St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 12, 2012 |
| Reference number | 88002238 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1908-1909 |
| Architect / builder | H. deCourcy Richards (architect); Lynch Bros. (builder) |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean / Mission/Spanish with Prairie School noted on the form |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Building is in good condition and the school has been shut down; the owner parish has placed the property under contract to sell. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 39.93344, -75.16347 (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 88002238.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q139769222
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.