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The bright lights of Philadelphia’s famous Boathouse Row — long one of the city’s signature nighttime sights — are going dark, at least for now. Beginning in March 2023, the iconic Boathouse Row went dark so the lighting system could receive a major glow-up. Fairmount Park Conservancy has partnered with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to replace and upgrade the existing light system at a cost of $2.1 million.
henning larsen's klaksvík row club is backdropped by the faroe islands' fjords
Lightings will be able to change from one color to another or be programmed in a way that appears to make them sparkle or “dance” along the boathouses. Lights will be able to fade from one to the next, also creating ombre effects and highlighting eclectic architectural features of the historic structures with different colors. If you are interested in learning more about requesting a special lighting, please see our FAQs below. The houses transitioned over to LED lighting in 2005 and were refurbished in 2024. The lights can be personalized and programmed by the staff of Fairmount Park Conservancy, with 16 million potential color combinations. Lightings can change from one color to another or be programmed in a way that appears to make them sparkle or “dance” along the boathouses.
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In the long term, the time spent on repairs will protect both the lighting system and the historic houses. A recent addition, Lloyd Hall, built in 1999, is the only public structure among the boathouses. After demolition of the former public boathouse, Plaisted Hall, the new construction created controversy because its many amenities did not include room for storing or launching rowing shells. The first small boathouse built by the Undine Barge Club was little more than a shack, but the original structure was renovated in the 1880s by the prominent architectural firm of Furness & Evans.
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Horvat, now the Commodore of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, has been a member of Vesper since 1973, before he went on to become a national champion. Local universities including Drexel, Penn, and La Salle row out of houses on Boathouse Row. Temple and Saint Joseph's row out of other boathouses along the Schuylkill that are not part of the Row.
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These days, half of the rowers who are club members and who use the river for rowing are women. The largest age group of rowers is high schoolers, with nearly 3,500 competing out of clubs on Boathouse Row. The Schuylkill Navy puts on four major regattas a year that fall between May and July, beginning with the Stotesbury Cup Regatta that draws more than 6,000 high school-aged participants from 17 states. Each rowing club that owns a house is established as nonprofit corporate organizations and governed by the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, the oldest amateur rowing company in America. No one permanently lives in the houses, but over the years, some young rowers have taken up residence for temporary periods and have served as caretakers of the structures. Local boating clubs take great pride in their historic 19th-century boathouses, which line the Schuylkill River just west of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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Fairmount Park sprang up around Lemon Hill as well, and in 1855, the houses became part of a public park, and the Schuylkill Navy, an amateur version of professional rowing, was founded in these houses in 1858. However, by 1859, the City of Philadelphia ended up condemning the group of houses. With the design of its Klaksvík Row Club, the architects at Henning Larsen celebrate the significance of rowing, which is deeply embedded in Faroese culture.
The Undine Barge Club is considered a founder of the Schuylkill Navy, which was formed in 1858. The club has many successful alumni, including Olympic Silver Medalist Tim Young and many members of the U.S. The buildings store the long, slender boats used by rowing crews, and have wide garage-door-like bays that open onto ramps that slope down to the water’s edge. Many have steep roofs or Tudor or Victorian-influenced architecture, which are accentuated by the lights.
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The University Barge Club owns boathouse No. 7, a house that was originally divided in half down the middle — it now has two staircases — to accommodate both the University Barge Club and the Philadelphia Barge Club. Once the Philadelphia Barge Club went under, the house became solely the University Barge Club’s property. Margaret Meigs, vice commodore of the Schuylkill Navy, has been a member of the University Barge Club since the early 1990s when the group went co-ed. An eight-person boat is named after Margaret and her husband and sits in the first floor of the boathouse. Standing in the images are members of the Kelly family — think “Kelly Drive.” There’s John B. Kelly Sr., a three-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing.
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Fairmount Park’s Boathouse Row is a central identifying icon of Philadelphia. A favorite Philadelphia “postcard” is Boathouse Row at night, with the lights that outline the boathouses reflected in the water of the Schuylkill River. But by the 1850s and in the years leading up to the Civil War, the city was interested in beautifying the area and essentially said to clubs, “You have to upgrade. Get a plan together and we’ll approve it.” From there, the boathouses were born. Now that the 6,400 individual LED lights are turned back on, it will help illuminate the historic buildings. Boathouse Row came into existence thanks to the construction of the Fairmount Dam and Water Works nearby, which prevented tidal waters from making their way into the city’s water supply.
A private donor supplied most of the funding for the lighting project, while the City of Philadelphia, which is responsible for maintaining and operating the lights, is contributing $600,000. Strings of lights were first installed along Boathouse Row in 1979 ahead of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Philadelphia. Since then, time, weather and wildlife have taken their toll, leading to regular outages.
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