Harriton High School

Harriton High School is a public secondary school in Rosemont, Pennsylvania serving portions of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The school is located on the Philadelphia Main Line. Harriton is one of two high schools in the Lower Merion School District; the other is Lower Merion High School. History Harriton High School is situated on a portion of the plantation grounds belonging to Charles Thomson, son-in-law of Richard and Hannah Harrison, giving Harriton High School its name. Thomson was secretary (1774–1789) of the Continental Congresses as well as the Convention to debate and negotiate the Constitution of the United States. Harriton High School was designed in 1957 by architect Vincent Kling and opened in 1958. Kling's design consisted of five buildings connected by covered walkways otherwise open to the elements, a style unusual for the region (and that it shared with Welsh Valley Middle School, built at the same time). Kling intended to create a modern design that encompassed a simple and effective layout with a focus on natural light and an airy environment. Ironically, Harriton's 1958 campus buildings surrounded a mostly concrete courtyard and was nicknamed "the Tombs" (despite the natural light and air).