Mary Channing Wister School

Mary Channing Wister School, originally the Mary Channing Wister Public School, is a historic school building located in the Poplar neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by Irwin T. Catharine and built in 1925–1926. It is a three-story, three bay, brick building on a raised basement in the Art Deco-style. An addition was built in 1960. It features a freestanding portico with Doric order columns and decorative tile.[2] It is named for the civic leader Mary Channing Wister, the wife of Owen Wister.

Mary Channing Wister School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Mary Channing Wister School entrance, August 2010
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Location	843–855 N. 8th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°58′01″N 75°09′02″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1925–1926
Built by	McCloskey & Co.
Architect	Irwin T. Catharine
Architectural style	Art Deco
MPS	Philadelphia Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No.	88002333[1]
Added to NRHP	November 18, 1988

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]

In 2001, the building was renovated to become a new forensic science laboratory for the Philadelphia Police Department.[3] While the facade remains true to the original design with little change, the inside of the building was completely renovated and designated a Green building. The new laboratory is called the Forensic Science Center, operated by the Office of Forensic Science within the Philadelphia Police Department.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Jefferson M. Moak (May 1987). "Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Mary Channing Wister School" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-16.
3. Gambacorta, David (August 6, 2009). "Behind-the-scenes crimefighters". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 11, 2017.