Editing Irwin T Catharine (section)

== Legacy ==

Recent decades have brought renewed appreciation for Catharine's school buildings as architectural and civic assets. Preservation efforts have recognized the buildings' quality and significance, leading to landmark designations and sympathetic renovations. The buildings' solid construction, generous spaces, and quality materials make them adaptable to changing educational requirements. Some former schools have been converted to residential or commercial use, their impressive architecture attracting developers seeking distinctive properties.<ref name="gallery"/>

Catharine's cathedral schools document a period when Philadelphia and America believed in public education's transformative potential and were willing to express that belief through impressive architecture. The buildings represent both Progressive educational ideals and the civic confidence of a city that saw itself as national leader. Whatever their current condition, these schools remain monuments to ambitions that shaped twentieth-century Philadelphia and to an architect who gave those ambitions architectural form.<ref name="cutler"/>