Table Of Content
- Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
- BOATHOUSE ROW THE BOOK
- Students from multiple campuses march through Center City calling for cease-fire in Gaza
- As the bus turns: New proposal for intercity bus stop is Old City parking garage
- The lights on Fairmount Park’s Boathouse Row are one of the most iconic sights in Philadelphia

Here, athletes train year-round, using traditionally crafted wooden boats — a UNESCO-recognized symbol of intangible cultural heritage. Starting Monday, though, the lights will be switched off and taken down as work gets underway on a $2.1 million replacement project. If all goes to plan, a new, upgraded lighting system should be ready for the winter holiday season. And with the history and iconic nature these houses hold, Horvat and Meigs said tourists often come by thinking the structures are open to the public. While some tours are granted to reporters or auctioned off for charity, seeing the inside of the houses is still relatively rare. They adorn a wall on the second floor of the boathouse that belongs to the Vesper Boat Club, the private rowing group that’s produced more Olympians and world champions than any other club in America.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

The boathouse architecture of from the 1870s onward reflected the impulse of the Fairmount Park Commission to impose order on the riverfront landscape by requiring stone construction. When additional boathouses were built in the 1890s and early twentieth century, architectural design aesthetics had changed, and architects incorporated brick and other materials in their designs. However, each structure still reflected the utilitarian goals of protecting and storing rowing shells as well as providing a gathering place for participants. Lights on the buildings at night would serve to make them more noticed and appreciated. In 2005, after two refurbishings, the houses were outfitted with computerized LEDs that can light up in various colors, depending on the event or season.
Boathouse Row lights return next month: Everything we know about the relighting ceremony - FOX 29 Philadelphia
Boathouse Row lights return next month: Everything we know about the relighting ceremony.
Posted: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
BOATHOUSE ROW THE BOOK
There’s his son, John B. Kelly Jr., who won the national singles championship eight times and was once president of the United States Olympic Committee. "Now we have this lighting system that contains a little bit more than it could before," Hoyle said. "It can be programmed, it can be sponsored, to help with the ongoing maintenance costs for future upgrades that might need to happen." First introduced in 1979, the Boathouse Row lights have gone through several upgrades. "Each of the clubs is individually owned and run by volunteers, they made up to an $850,000 investment," Rasheed said. Work began last March to upgrade and redesign the lighting system to the tune of more than $2 million.
Students from multiple campuses march through Center City calling for cease-fire in Gaza
Check the website for the racing schedule between each of the mainly university clubs. The Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia is dedicated to expanding racial diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Philadelphia rowing community. We stand against racist speech and behaviors and will take action against any occurrence in any Schuylkill Navy-conducted event or any organization affiliated with the Navy.
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"When we turned out the lights in March 2023, we heard the story was picked up in a lot of locations," Rasheed said. "For 12 months, everyone has been eager to see those lights go back on." Gerald Rothstein III, the vice president of management for Eagle Industrial Electric, said it took about five months to install the 6,400 LED lights.
All Eyes Are On University of Pennsylvania Encampment
After removing the old lights, the 12 boat clubs along Kelly Drive prepped their buildings for the new system. According to the Fairmount Park Conservancy, the boat clubs collectively spent about $850,000 on necessary repairs and maintenance. Mills in East Falls and Manayunk would use the river to ship materials into the city for processing and distribution, and there was easy access to the Delaware River. Once rowing started in the area, the boathouses were preceded by “basically shacks,” Horvat said.
The architectural mix on Boathouse Row spans from Victorian to contemporary styles, offering a varied visual appeal. Ongoing renovations ensure the structures remain both historically significant and practical for the rowing community. Rasheed said it took a team effort to make this new lighting system possible. The conservancy worked with the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department, the Lighting Place, Eagle Industrial Electric, IBEW Local 98 Electricians, and the 12 boat clubs.
A clock on the outside deck of the Vesper house reads “All Together,” the club’s motto. The Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and others came together for the "Official Boathouse Row Relighting Ceremony" on Thursday night. "The houses themselves put in a lot of treasure, a lot of time, a lot of sweat equity to get the houses ready to receive the lights," said Bonnie Mueller, the commodore of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia. Sandwiched between Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River, Boathouse Row features a series of historic structures. ‘Our design is rooted in Klaksvík’s landscape and culture,’ says Ósbjørn Jacobsen, Design Director for Henning Larsen in the Faroe Islands. The building’s sloping green roof and timber facade echo the surrounding natural beauty and traditional Faroese architecture, creating a dialogue between the built environment and the peaks of the fjord.
Local boating clubs take great pride in their 19th-century boat houses, which line the Schuylkill River just west of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. At night, lights outline one of the city’s loveliest views, which is known as Boathouse Row. Much of the park’s rowing activity centers around Boathouse Row which is near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and sandwiched between Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River. The first if Fairmount Park’s recreation center, Lloyd Hall, at #1 Boathouse Row.
Return of Philadelphia Boathouse Row lights delayed after supply chain issues - CBS News
Return of Philadelphia Boathouse Row lights delayed after supply chain issues.
Posted: Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Your support will help the ongoing maintenance of the lights and ensure that they continue to shine brightly for all to enjoy. Your support will help ensure that the lights continue to shine brightly for all to enjoy. Pricing depends on the complexity and duration of the display, and the fees go back into the ongoing maintenance of the Boathouse Row lights. Please click the button below and fill out the form to be considered for a request. The introduction of women and youth in great numbers started in the 1980s and 90s.
Henning Larsen’s design allows for adaptation, ensuring the town can evolve organically. The former post office, now a cultural house, shows this commitment to Klaksvík’s dynamic future. The new, programmable lighting system will have 6,400 individual LED lights with 16 million color combinations — think Eagles green on game day — mounted to a custom track that will help protect them against the elements. Boathouse Row traces its history to the 1800s as Philadelphians flocked to the river for recreation and the city emerged as a major center of rowing. “Wholesale replacement to a more robust and durable system made sense in terms of the budget,” said Rasheed, the director of capital projects at Fairmount Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that works with the city to support the public park system.
Boathouse Row hosts several major rowing regattas, including the Dad Vail Regatta, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, the Navy Day Regatta, the Independence Day Regatta, and the Head of the Schuylkill. Click here to fill out the application form or scroll to the bottom of this page for FAQs. Personal requests, nonprofits and charitable events or causes, businesses / commercial entities, and government agencies are all eligible to make a request. Rowing at a high level spread from here to Boston, New York, Washington and across the country. The awareness and the popularity has never been higher, Horvat says, especially among high school students where the level of competition has raised significantly.