James R. Ludlow School

James R. Ludlow School
James R. Ludlow School, August 2010
Location550 W. Master St.,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°58′21″N 75°08′45″W / 39.9725°N 75.1459°W / 39.9725; -75.1459
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1926–1927
ArchitectIrwin T. Catharine
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival
MPSPhiladelphia Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No.88002296[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 18, 1988

The James R. Ludlow School is a historic American K-8 elementary school in the Ludlow neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2] It is in the School District of Philadelphia.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1] On January 22, 2025, Superintendent Tony Watlington, Sr., proposed a plan that would close Ludlow School and convey it to the City of Philadelphia as part of a plan to streamline the School District of Philadelphia's educational facilities.[3]

History and architectural features

The school building is a Gothic Revival structure that was designed by architect Irwin T. Catharine (1883–1944) and built between 1926 and 1927. It is a heavily constructed, three-story brick building, nine bays wide with projecting end bays, and was created in the Late Gothic Revival-style. Like many similarly-designed Gothic Revival schools in Philadelphia, it features rib vault, heavily tiled corridors, and a stone entrance pavilion with a Tudor-arched opening.[4]

The school was named for the Honorable James Reilly Ludlow, or “Judge Ludlow” (1825-1886), president judge of the Court of Common Pleas, No. 3, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.[5]

Ludlow School is located near the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, and near Philadelphia’s up-and-coming Fishtown neighborhood. St. John Neumann was a Bishop of Philadelphia who largely organized and expanded Philadelphia's diocesan school system.

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Philadelphia Neighborhoods". OpenDataPhilly. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  3. ^ Graham, Kristen (January 22, 2026). "Philly could close 20 schools, colocate 6, and modernize 159: Superintendent Watlington shares his facilities plan". Inquirer.com. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  4. ^ Jefferson M. Moak (May 1987). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania MPS Ludlow, James R., School. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 5, 2026. (Downloading may be slow.)
  5. ^ Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, "James R. Ludlow," by Richard Vaux, January 7, 1887, p. 19-23
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