Mastery Charter School Thomas Campus, formerly the George C. Thomas Junior High School, is a secondary

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

located in the south section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It is run by

Mastery Charter Schools Mastery Schools is a network of 24 charter schools with over 14,000 students in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey. It is headquartered at the Mastery Charter Pickett Campus in Germantown, Philadelphia Germantown () is an area ...

. It is located at the intersection of 9th and Johnston Streets just north of the

South Philadelphia Sports Complex The South Philadelphia Sports Complex is the home of four prominent Philadelphia professional sports teams. The complex is located in South Philadelphia and is the site of Wells Fargo Center, home arena for the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelp ...

. Nearby are the residential neighborhoods of Marconi Plaza,

Lower Moyamensing Lower Moyamensing is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, situated just south of the East Passyunk Crossing neighborhood and north of the stadium area. It is bounded by Snyder Avenue to the north, Oregon Avenue to ...

, and

Packer Park Packer Park is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States that originally included 1,000 homes built in two unique builder developments, of Packer Park in the 1950s and Brinton Estates during th ...

; the recreational parkland of

FDR Park Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park (originally named League Island Park) is a park located along the Delaware River in the southernmost point of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising some , about of buildings, roadways, pathways for w ...

; and the historical and new business-development center of the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front ...

. The school is located within the boundaries of the Sports Complex Special Services District, directly on the Oregon Avenue urban corridor of small shops and restaurants anchored by larger shopping plazas on the east and west end of Oregon Avenue, and near the revitalized commercial area of Passyunk Avenue. It shares a site with the D. Newlin Fell School. The school serves portions of

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

programmed for grades 7 through 12. It was previously part of the

School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated State schools, public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-lar ...

. In 2009, a Charter School college-bound curriculum was established at George C. Thomas, and the interior building was renovated, along with the main entrance on the south side, facing Johnston Street.

History

The building was designed by

Irwin T. Catharine Irwin Thornton Catharine (October 22, 1883 – March 3, 1944) was the chief architect of Philadelphia Public school (government funded), public schools from 1920 until his retirement in 1937. Buildings built during Catharine's tenure ranged from ...

and built in 1920–1921. It is a three-story, eight bay by three bay, brick building on a raised basement in the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

-style. An addition was built in 1952. It features two projecting entrances with stone surrounds and a brick

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

. ''Note:'' This includes The school was named for George Clifford Thomas, a notable person in American history of the mid-19th century. He was a prominent banker, Protestant church and civic leader, philanthropist and collector of art, rare books and manuscripts. He was a banking-house partner of Jay Cooke and Company in 1861, where he took a prominent part in the work accomplished by the firm, which strengthened the finances of the government so that it was enabled to carry on the Civil War. Later he partnered at the financial firm of Drexel & Co. For thirteen years, he was treasurer of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and for twenty-one years he was deputy to General Conventions. He was elected accounting warden of the Holy Apostles and was superintendent of that Sunday School for 41 years. In 1870, Mr. Thomas originated and organized the Sunday School Association of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, of which from the year 1875 to the day of his death in 1909, he was vice president. Among his collection of art, it included works by Whistler, Delacroix, Millet, and Troyon.
" ''Collectors''. Retrieved on October 8, 2011. The school was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1988.

Transportation

SEPTA SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...

serves the school with Routes 7, 23, 47 and G. Students living at least away are given a free SEPTA transit pass which is issued every week in order to get to school.A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions
." ''

''. Retrieved November 6, 2008.

Notable alumni

James Darren James William Ercolani (June 8, 1936 – September 2, 2024), known by his stage name James Darren, was an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and su ...

(Class of 1952): Actor, singer, best known as love interest in "

Gidget Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenage daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friend ...

" movies * Fabian (Class of 1960): Actor, singer, best known for song "Turn Me Loose" *

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, '' The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress E ...

(Class of 1946): Singer, actor, ex-husband of

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

and father of actress

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...

Gene Demby Gene Demby is an American journalist and podcast host. He is cohost of the podcast Code Switch, created by National Public Radio ( NPR). He's also the lead blogger covering race, ethnicity and culture on the blog of the same name. Demby previou ...

(journalist]: (Class of 1994): Reporter at

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

and host of the

Code Switch ''Code Switch'' is a podcast from National Public Radio ( NPR), and an online outlet covering race and culture. Code Switch began in 2013 as a blog, and a series of stories contributed to NPR radio programs. The ''Code Switch'' podcast launch ...

podcast.

References

External links

* {{authority control School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Colonial Revival architecture in Pennsylvania School buildings completed in 1921 High schools in Philadelphia Public middle schools in Pennsylvania 1921 establishments in Pennsylvania South Philadelphia Charter schools in Pennsylvania

History

Transportation

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links