Now housing Keystone Academy Charter School, the Mary Disston School was the third public school building constructed in Tacony. It was named for the wife of Henry Disston, who was the founder of the Keystone Saw Works. The Disstons worked to establish and nurture a model company town linked to the saw works that included provisions for housing, leisure, religion, and education.
The Mary Disston School was built between 1900 and 1901, about six years after Mary Disston passed away. It was completed in the Summer of 1901 as an annex to the Henry Disston School, which had been located across the street at Longshore and Ditman Streets. The goal was for the Mary Disston School to eventually become the main building for Tacony's public school system. According to newspapers from the time, it was necessary to relieve overcrowding.
The building was constructed by the contractor Harry Kuemmerie at a cost of $59,756.62 (about $2.1 million today). It's built from granite in the Colonial Revival style of architecture. Buildings in this style are typically simple, symmetrical, and rectangular. They draw from Georgian and Federal architecture, and like the Mary Disston School combine several different styles. For example, you can see references to the Federal style in the facade of the second story.
The Henry Disston School was torn down in the 1930s due to poor construction. By then, the Hamilton Disston School had been built and was the main building for Tacony's public school students. The Mary Disston School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. For a time it hosted St. Josephat's Ukrainian Catholic School. Now, the building is a part of the Keystone Charter Academy's campus, which was moved to Tacony in 2016.
