Irwin T. Catharine

Irwin Thornton Catharine (October 22, 1883 – March 3, 1944) was the chief architect of Philadelphia public schools from 1920 until his retirement in 1937. Buildings built during Catharine's tenure ranged from Gothic Revival, as in the case of Simon Gratz High School, to Streamline Moderne, as in his last project, Joseph H. Brown Elementary School. He died in Philadelphia in 1944.

Catharine succeeded Henry deCoursey Richards as the main school designer in Philadelphia. From 1918 to 1937, his work added 104 new buildings (replacing 37 existing ones), added wings to 26 other schools, and otherwise improved at least 50 other schools.

A number of Catharine's works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The former Edward Bok Vocational School, in the Wharton neighborhood of South Philadelphia, which has been repurposed as the Bok Building for commercial uses after the closure of the school it housed, has a bar and restaurant on its top floor named Irwin's, in honor of Catharine.

Works

Catharine's works (all in Philadelphia) include the following. If Catharine has notable works outside of Philadelphia, none are listed on the National Register. Universal Alcorn Charter Elementary School, (1931), 1500 S. 32nd St., NRHP-listed Ethan Allen School, 3001 Robbins Ave., NRHP-listed Charles Y. Audenried Junior High School, 1601 S. 33rd St., NRHP-listed Clara Barton School, 300 E. Wyoming Ave., NRHP-listed John Bartram High School, 67th and Elmwood Sts., NRHP-listed Dimner Beeber Middle School, 5901 Malvern Ave., NRHP-listed Belmont Charter School, 4030-4060 Brown St., NRHP-listed Rudolph Blankenburg School, 4600 Girard Ave., NRHP-listed Board of Education Building, 21st St. and Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., NRHP-listed Edward Bok Vocational School, 1909 S. Ninth St., NRHP-listed Daniel Boone School, Hancock and Wildey Sts., NRHP-listed F. Amadee Bregy School, 1700 Bigler St., NRHP-listed Joseph H. Brown School, 8118-8120 Frankford Ave., NRHP-listed Laura H. Carnell School, 6101 Summerdale Ave., NRHP-listed Lewis C. Cassidy School, 6523-6543 Lansdowne Ave., NRHP-listed Castor Gardens Middle School, Cottman Ave. and Loretto Ave., NRHP-listed Joseph W. Catharine School, 6600 Chester Ave., NRHP-listed Central High School, Olney and Ogontz Aves., Logan neighborhood of Philadelphia, NRHP-listed Conwell Middle Magnet School, 1829-1951 E. Clearfield St., NRHP-listed Jay Cooke Junior High School, 4735 Old York Rd., NRHP-listed Thomas Creighton School, 5401 Tabor Rd., NRHP-listed Kennedy Crossan School, 7341 Palmetto St., NRHP-listed Lydia Darrah School, 708-732 N. 17th St., NRHP-listed Hamilton Disston School, 6801 Cottage St., NRHP-listed Murrell Dobbins Vocational School, 2100 Lehigh Ave., NRHP-listed James Dobson School, 4665 Umbria St., NRHP-listed Laurence Dunbar School, 12th above Columbia Ave., NRHP-listed Henry R. Edmunds School, 1101-1197 Haworth St., NRHP-listed James Elverson, Jr. School, 1300 Susquehanna Ave., NRHP-listed Eleanor Cope Emlen School of Practice, 6501 Chew St., NRHP-listed Federal Street School, 1130-1148 Federal St., NRHP-listed D. Newlin Fell School, 900 Oregon Ave., NRHP-listed Joseph C. Ferguson School, 2000-2046 7th St., NRHP-listed Thomas K. Finletter School, 6101 N. Front St., NRHP-listed Thomas Fitzsimons Junior High School, 2601 W. Cumberland St., NRHP-listed Edwin Forrest School, 4300 Bleigh St., NRHP-listed Robert Fulton School, 60-68 E. Haines St., NRHP-listed Elizabeth Duane Gillespie Junior High School, 3901-3961 N. 18th St., NRHP-listed Simon Gratz High School, 3901-3961 N. 18th St., NRHP-listed Warren G. Harding Junior High School, 2000 Wakeling St., NRHP-listed William H. Harrison School, 1012-1020 W. Thompson St., NRHP-listed Francis Hopkinson School, 1301-1331 E. Luzerne Ave., NRHP-listed Henry H. Houston School, 135 W. Allen's Ln., NRHP-listed Thomas Jefferson School, 1101-1125 N. 4th St., NRHP-listed John Story Jenks School, 8301-8317 Germantown Ave., NRHP-listed John Paul Jones Junior High School, 2922 Memphis St., NRHP-listed Eliza Butler Kirkbride School, 626 Dickinson St., NRHP-listed Logan Demonstration School, 5000 N. 17th St., NRHP-listed James R. Ludlow School, 1323-1345 N. 6th St., NRHP-listed William Mann School, 1835-1869 N. 54th St., NRHP-listed Martin Orthopedic School, 800 N. 22nd St., NRHP-listed Delaplaine McDaniel School, 2100 Moore St., NRHP-listed George Meade School, 1801 Oxford St., NRHP-listed William M. Meredith School, 5th and Fitzwater Sts., NRHP-listed Thomas Mifflin School, 3500 Midvale Ave., NRHP-listed Andrew J. Morrison School, 300 Duncannon St., NRHP-listed George W. Nebinger School, 601-627 Carpenter St., NRHP-listed Jeremiah Nichols School, 1235 S. 16th St., NRHP-listed Olney High School, Duncannon and Front Sts., NRHP-listed Overbrook High School, 59th and Lancaster Ave., NRHP-listed Academy at Palumbo, 1100 Catharine St., NRHP-listed John M. Patterson School, 7001 Buist Ave., NRHP-listed William S. Peirce School, 2400 Christian St., NRHP-listed Penn Treaty Junior High School, 600 E. Thompson St., NRHP-listed Joseph Pennell School, 1800-1856 Nedro St., NRHP-listed Samuel W. Pennypacker School, 1800-1850 E. Washington Ln., NRHP-listed Philadelphia High School for Girls (now Julia R. Masterman School), 17th and Spring Garden Sts., NRHP-listed Gen. John F. Reynolds School, 2300 Jefferson St., NRHP-listed Richmond School, 2942 Belgrade St., NRHP-listed Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School, 430 E. Washington Ln., NRHP-listed William Rowen School, 6801 N. 19th St., NRHP-listed Anna Howard Shaw Junior High School, 5401 Warrington St., NRHP-listed William Shoemaker Junior High School, 1464-1488 N. 53rd St., NRHP-listed Franklin Smedley School, 5199 Mulberry St., NRHP-listed Walter George Smith School, 1300 S. 19th St., NRHP-listed Spring Garden School No. 1, 12th and Ogden Sts., NRHP-listed Spring Garden School No. 2, Melon St. S of 12th St., NRHP-listed Edwin M. Stanton School, 1616-1644 Christian St., NRHP-listed Thaddeus Stevens School of Observation, 1301 Spring Garden St., NRHP-listed James J. Sullivan School, 5300 Ditman St., NRHP-listed Mayer Sulzberger Junior High School, 701-741 N. 48th St., NRHP-listed George C. Thomas Junior High School, 2746 S. 9th St., NRHP-listed William J. Tilden Junior High School, 66th St. and Elmwood Ave., NRHP-listed Edwin H. Vare Junior High School, 2102 S. 24th St., NRHP-listed Roberts Vaux Junior High School, 230-2344 W. Master St., NRHP-listed Gen. Louis Wagner Junior High School, 17th and Chelton Sts., NRHP-listed George Washington School, 5th and Federal Sts., NRHP-listed Mary Channing Wister School, 843-855 N. 8th St., NRHP-listed George Wolf School, 8100 Lyons Ave., NRHP-listed