Furness High School
Horace Howard Furness High School | |
 Furness High School (Detail, May 2010) | |
| Location | 1900 S. Third St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19148 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°55′26″N 75°09′03″W / 39.9238°N 75.1508°W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| Built by | Cramp & Co. |
| Architect | Henry deCourcy Richards |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Academic Gothic |
| MPS | Philadelphia Public Schools TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 86003286[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 1, 1986 |
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Horace Howard Furness High School is a secondary (9th-12th) school in South Philadelphia. It is part of the School District of Philadelphia.[2]
Portions of South Philadelphia (including Bella Vista, Passyunk Square, Pennsport, Queen Village, and Whitman) are zoned to Furness.[3] A section of Center City, including Society Hill and Old City, was formerly zoned to Furness for high school.[4]
History[edit]
It was originally built as an elementary school, with construction starting in 1913 and ending in 1914; it later became Horace Furness Junior High School. It was named for Shakespearean scholar Horace Howard Furness (1833-1912).[5]
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Horace Furness Junior High School in 1986.[1] It was later converted into a senior high school, and its first high school graduation was held in 1991.[5]
In 2012 Daniel Peou, a Cambodian American man who was once a refugee and had lived in Philadelphia, became the principal of Furness.[6]
Architecture[edit]
The school building was designed by Henry deCourcy Richards and built by Cramp & Co. It is a four-story, rectangular, reinforced concrete building clad in brick and terra cotta in the Late Gothic Revival-style. It features an oversized arched entryway, blind panels, terra cotta quoining, and a brick parapet.[7]
Student body[edit]
As of 2015[update] the school had 694 students. These students used over 25 different languages.[8]
In 2000 the school had about 1,200 students. In the 2009-2010 school year the school had 673 students, with 40% being African-American and 38% being Asian.[9]
Benjamin Herold of the Philadelphia Public School Notebook stated that Furness was largely free of racial tensions.[9]
Academic performance[edit]
In regards to Pennsylvania's state achievement tests, of 11th graders at Furness, the percentages of students meeting the standard or higher were 43% in reading and 58% in mathematics. In terms of Philadelphia's comprehensive schools these percentages were higher than the average.[9]
Transportation[edit]
SEPTA routes 29, 57 and 79 serve Furness.[10]
School uniforms[edit]
Furness requires its students to wear school uniforms. Students may wear a gray shirt that must have a collar on it with black pants.[11]
Feeder patterns[edit]
K-8 schools feeding into Furness include:[12]
- Fanny Jackson Coppin School (formerly Andrew Jackson School)
- Eliza Butler Kirkbride School
- William M. Meredith School
- George W. Nebinger School
- George Sharswood School
- John H. Taggart School
- Vare-Washington School (formerly Abigail Vare School and George Washington School)
Previously George A. McCall School in Society Hill fed Furness High.[3][10][13]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "SCHOOL'S FINALLY OUT FOR SUMMER STUDENTS." Philadelphia Inquirer. August 8, 1986. B01.
- ^ a b Horace Furness High School Geographic Boundaries (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on October 4, 2011.
- ^ Where the Graduates Go Archived 2009-06-21 at the Wayback Machine." McCall School. Retrieved on November 9, 2008.
- ^ a b "Furness fosters a diverse story". South Philly Review. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ Myers, Joseph. "Peou returns to head Furness" (Archive). September 13, 2012. Retrieved on December 1, 2015.
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2005-09-14. Retrieved 2012-07-07. Note: This includes unknown (n.d.). "Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Horace Furness Junior High School" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-07-03.
- ^ Hill, Chanel (2015-01-20). "Furness prepares students to be ambassadors of community". Philadelphia Tribune. p. A4.
- ^ a b c Herold, Benjamin (2011-10-14). "At Furness High, a tough choice looms". The Philadelphia Public School Notebook. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ a b "A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 15 (PDF p/ 17/40). Accessed November 6, 2008.
- ^ "School Uniform Requirements Archived 2009-04-05 at the Wayback Machine." School District of Philadelphia.
- ^ "High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 32/70. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
- ^ "School Finder." School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 30, 2015.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Furness High School at the Wayback Machine (archived September 13, 2017) - 2017
- Furness High School at the Wayback Machine (archive index) - 2001-2007
- Furness High School at the Wayback Machine (archive index) - 1997-2002
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
- School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia
- Gothic Revival architecture in Pennsylvania
- School buildings completed in 1914
- High schools in Philadelphia
- School District of Philadelphia
- Public high schools in Pennsylvania
- 1914 establishments in Pennsylvania
- South Philadelphia