Built 1909–1911 NRHP Reference # 86003330 Phone +1 215-952-8606 | Architectural style Jacobean Area 1 ha Added to NRHP 1 December 1986 | |
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Location 1835 S. 9th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Architect Henry deCoursey Richards MPS Philadelphia Public Schools TR Address 1835 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19148, USA Similar Francis Scott Key School, Vare‑Washington School, George Sharswood School, D Newlin Fell School, Andrew Jackson School Profiles | ||
Southwark school
Southwark School is a public K-8 school located in the Central South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a part of Philadelphia Public Schools.
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Students zoned to Francis Scott Key School (K–6) are zoned to Southwark for grades 7–8. Students zoned to Southwark and to Key are also zoned to South Philadelphia High School.
History
The historic school building was designed by Henry deCoursey Richards and built in 1909–1911. It is a three-story, granite-faced, reinforced concrete building in the Tudor Revival-style. It features a segmented, compound arched opening and parapet with stepped stone panels. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
As of 1989 the Southwark Motivation, a high school program with 265 students, housed its classes on the third floor of Southwark School. Established by West Philadelphia High School teacher Rebecca Segal, it admitted students who perform at average levels and provided extra mathematics and English courses, required attendance of cultural events, used the same teachers all four years, and made parents sign contracts asking them to involve themselves in the education of their children. That year the district decided to move the program to South Philadelphia High School in order to use more space at the underutilized high school campus and to relieve overcrowding at South Philadelphia elementary schools. The third floor of Southwark would be used for grade 6-8 students who were attending Francis Scott Key School, and there would be space freed for a full-day kindergarten program. Several students and parents of Southwark Motivation criticized the plan.