The Promise Academy at Roberts Vaux High School is a historic high school school building located in the North Central neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by Irwin T. Catharine and built in 1936-1938. It is a four-story, 23 bay, "U"-shaped yellow brick building in a Moderne / Art Deco-style. It features projecting end pavilions, terra cotta decorative work, and a two-story stone Tudor-arched entryway. It was named for American jurist, abolitionist, and philanthropist Roberts Vaux .It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.The school was closed in 2013 as part of Philadelphia's shutdown of 23 district-run schools. Displaced students were enrolled in Strawberry Mansion High School and Benjamin Franklin High School.Vaux, now operated by Big Picture Philadelphia, will reopen in 2017.
