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 his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Works (all in Philadelphia) include:
James Alcorn School, (1931), 1500 S. 32nd St., NRHP-listedEthan Allen School, 3001 Robbins Ave., NRHP-listedCharles Y. Audenried Junior High School, 1601 S. 33rd St., NRHP-listedBartlett School, 1100 Catharine St., NRHP-listedClara Barton School, 300 E. Wyoming Ave., NRHP-listedJohn Bartram High School, 67th and Elmwood Sts., NRHP-listedDimner Beeber Junior High School, 5901 Malvern Ave., NRHP-listedBelmont School, 4030-4060 Brown St., NRHP-listedRudolph Blankenburg School, 4600 Girard Ave., NRHP-listedBoard of Education Building, 21st St. and Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., NRHP-listedEdward Bok Vocational School, 1909 S. Ninth St., NRHP-listedDaniel Boone School, Hancock and Wildey Sts., NRHP-listedF. Amadee Bregy School, 1700 Bigler St., NRHP-listedJoseph H. Brown School, 8118-8120 Frankford Ave., NRHP-listedLaura H. Carnell School, 6101 Summerdale Ave., NRHP-listedLewis C. Cassidy School, 6523-6543 Lansdowne Ave., NRHP-listedJoseph W. Catharine School, 6600 Chester Ave., NRHP-listedCentral High School, Olney and Ogontz Aves., Logan neighborhood of Philadelphia, NRHP-listedRussell H. Conwell School, 1829-1951 E. Clearfield St., NRHP-listedJay Cooke Junior High School, 4735 Old York Rd., NRHP-listedThomas Creighton School, 5401 Tabor Rd., NRHP-listedKennedy Crossan School, 7341 Palmetto St., NRHP-listedLydia Darrah School, 708-732 N. 17th St., NRHP-listedHamilton Disston School, 6801 Cottage St., NRHP-listedMurrell Dobbins Vocational School, 2100 Lehigh Ave., NRHP-listedJames Dobson School, 4665 Umbria St., NRHP-listedPaul Lawrence Dunbar School, 12th above Columbia Ave., NRHP-listedHenry R. Edmunds School, 1101-1197 Haworth St., NRHP-listedJames Elverson, Jr. School, 1300 Susquehanna Ave., NRHP-listedEleanor Cope Emlen School of Practice, 6501 Chew St., NRHP-listedFederal Street School, 1130-1148 Federal St., NRHP-listedD. Newlin Fell School, 900 Oregon Ave., NRHP-listedJoseph C. Ferguson School, 2000-2046 7th St., NRHP-listedThomas K. Finletter School, 6101 N. Front St., NRHP-listedThomas Fitzsimons Junior High School, 2601 W. Cumberland St., NRHP-listedEdwin Forrest School, 4300 Bleigh St., NRHP-listedRobert Fulton School, 60-68 E. Haines St., NRHP-listedElizabeth Duane Gillespie Junior High School, 3901-3961 N. 18th St., NRHP-listedSimon Gratz High School, 3901-3961 N. 18th St., NRHP-listedWarren G. Harding Junior High School, 2000 Wakeling St., NRHP-listedWilliam H. Harrison School, 1012-1020 W. Thompson St., NRHP-listedFrancis Hopkinson School, 1301-1331 E. Luzerne Ave., NRHP-listedHenry H. Houston School, 135 W. Allen's Ln., NRHP-listedThomas Jefferson School, 1101-1125 N. 4th St., NRHP-listedJohn Story Jenks School, 8301-8317 Germantown Ave., NRHP-listedJohn Paul Jones Junior High School, 2922 Memphis St., NRHP-listedEliza Butler Kirkbride School, 626 Dickinson St., NRHP-listedLogan Demonstration School, 5000 N. 17th St., NRHP-listedJames R. Ludlow School, 1323-1345 N. 6th St., NRHP-listedWilliam Mann School, 1835-1869 N. 54th St., NRHP-listedMartin Orthopedic School, 800 N. 22nd St., NRHP-listedDelaplaine McDaniel School, 2100 Moore St., NRHP-listedGeorge Meade School, 1801 Oxford St., NRHP-listedWilliam M. Meredith School, 5th and Fitzwater Sts., NRHP-listedThomas Mifflin School, 3500 Midvale Ave., NRHP-listedAndrew J. Morrison School, 300 Duncannon St., NRHP-listedGeorge W. Nebinger School, 601-627 Carpenter St., NRHP-listedJeremiah Nichols School, 1235 S. 16th St., NRHP-listedOlney High School, Duncannon and Front Sts., NRHP-listedOverbrook High School, 59th and Lancaster Ave., NRHP-listedJohn M. Paterson School, 7001 Buist Ave., NRHP-listedWilliam S. Pierce School, 2400 Christian St., NRHP-listedPenn Treaty Junior High School, 600 E. Thompson St., NRHP-listedJoseph Pennell School, 1800-1856 Nedro St., NRHP-listedSamuel W. Pennypacker School, 1800-1850 E. Washington Ln., NRHP-listedPhiladelphia High School for Girls (now Julia R. Masterman School), 17th and Spring Garden Sts., NRHP-listedGen. John F. Reynolds School, 2300 Jefferson St., NRHP-listedRichmond School, 2942 Belgrade St., NRHP-listedTheodore Roosevelt Junior High School, 430 E. Washington Ln., NRHP-listedWilliam Rowen School, 6801 N. 19th St., NRHP-listedAnna Howard Shaw Junior High School, 5401 Warrington St., NRHP-listedWilliam Shoemaker Junior High School, 1464-1488 N. 53rd St., NRHP-listedFranklin Smedley School, 5199 Mulberry St., NRHP-listedWalter George Smith School, 1300 S. 19th St., NRHP-listedSpring Garden School No. 1, 12th and Ogden Sts., NRHP-listedSpring Garden School No. 2, Melon St. S of 12th St., NRHP-listedStanton, Edwin M., School, 1616-1644 Christian St., NRHP-listedThaddeus Stevens School of Observation, 1301 Spring St., NRHP-listedJames J. Sullivan School, 5300 Ditman St., NRHP-listedMayer Sulzberger Junior High School, 701-741 N. 48th St., NRHP-listedGeorge C. Thomas Junior High School, 2746 S. 9th St., NRHP-listedWilliam J. Tilden Junior High School, 66th St. and Elmwood Ave., NRHP-listedEdwin H. Vare Junior High School, 2102 S. 24th St., NRHP-listedRoberts Vaux Junior High School, 230-2344 W. Master St., NRHP-listedGen. Louis Wagner Junior High School, 17th and Chelton Sts., NRHP-listedGeorge Washington School, 5th and Federal Sts., NRHP-listedWoodrow Wilson Junior High School, Cottman Ave. and Loretta St., NRHP-listedMary Channing Wister School, 843-855 N. 8th St., NRHP-listedGeorge Wolf School, 8100 Lyons Ave., NRHP-listedIf Catharine has notable works outside of Philadelphia, none are listed on the National Register.
