The Vesper Boat Club is an amateur

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

club located at #10 Boathouse Row in the historic

Boathouse Row Boathouse Row is a historic site located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the east bank of the Schuylkill River just north of the Fairmount Water Works and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It consists of a row of 15 boathouses housing social and ro ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Founded in 1865 as the Washington Barge Club, the Club changed its name to Vesper Boat Club in 1870. Vesper's stated goal is "to produce Olympic champions." Most recently, that goal was achieved by Devery Karz and Kathleen Bertko in th
2016 Summer Olympics

History

The Vesper Boat Club had its beginning on Feb. 22, 1865 – a decade into the flourishing of rowing clubs on Philadelphia's

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

– with the founding of the Washington Barge Club. Five years later, on Jan 1, 1870, it changed its name to Vesper Boat Club and quickly became one of the most celebrated rowing clubs in the United States and the world. Vesper's eight-oared shell took the gold medal in Paris at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from ...

. The Vesper eight repeated its victory at the 1904 games in St. Louis. And at the

1964 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

, Vesper's eight won again, making it the only rowing club in the United States to win the title three times. Perhaps the best-known names associated with the Vesper Club are John B. Kelly Sr., an Irish-American brickworks owner who became influential in city politics and his son,

John B. Kelly Jr. John Brenden "Jack" Kelly Jr. (May 24, 1927 – March 2, 1985), also known as Kell Kelly, was an American athlete, an accomplished rower, a four-time Olympian, and an Olympic medal winner. He was the son of triple Olympic gold medal winner Jac ...

, a city councilman and brother to

Princess Grace of Monaco Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

. Kelly Sr. won Olympic Gold in the single scull in 1920. He also won gold medals in the double scull in 1920 and in 1924, both times with his cousin

Paul Costello Paul Vincent Costello (December 27, 1894 – April 17, 1986) was an American triple Olympic Gold Medal winner in rowing. He was the first rower to win a gold medal in the same event, double sculls, at three consecutive Olympics. He also won num ...

. As a laborer Kelly was barred from entering the 1920

Diamond Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

at the

Royal Henley Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the three ...

. It was two decades later that John B. Kelly Jr. would win that event, in 1947 and 1949. Kelly Jr. won the national singles championship eight times. At the time of his death in 1985, he. was president of the

United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...

. Under the coaching of such greats as Jim Manning, Dr. Charles W. Riggall, Allan Rosenberg and Dietrich Rose, many other Vesper members have gone on to cumulatively win more national and international races than any club in the United States. After a century of accomplishments for the men, Vesper in 1970 became the first men's club to organize a women's rowing team. (

Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club (commonly abbreviated PGRC) is an amateur rowing club located at #14 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest all-female rowing club in ...

in 1968 pioneered women's rowing in the United States.) Vesper women have consistently won national championships and have regularly represented the United States in international competition. At the Montreal Olympics in 1976, six Vesper members were on the USA Olympic Rowing Team.

Boathouse

The present clubhouse was constructed in combination with neighboring

Malta Boat Club Malta Boat Club is an amateur rowing club located at #9 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1865, the Club joined the Schuylkill Navy when it relocated to the Schuylkill River from the Delaware River and ...

, with the Vesper cornerstone dated 1865. The first building was completed in 1865. The boathouse was designed by noted Philadelphia architect G.H. Hewitt. The architecture – semi -attached ornamental Victorian Gothic is typical of that period and members who were tradesmen constructed the original building with local building materials. The second boat bay addition was in 1898, and the last was completed in the early 1960s. In 1873, Vesper, in conjunction with

, built a -story boat house. In 1898, a second floor and addition were added to Vesper, and other renovations have recently been completed. Howard Egar designed the 1898 alterations and additions to the Vesper Boat Club.

Prominent members

* Harry Parker - 1960 US Olympic Team and US Olympic Coach 1964–1984 * Allen Rosenberg - rower and US Olympic rowing coach *Kenneth Dreyfuss - 1972 US Olympic Team *C. Hugh Stevenson – 1972 US Olympic Team *James E. Moroney III - 1972 & 1976 US Olympic Teams * Michiel Bartman - 2009 and 2007 US National Team Coaching Staff *Dan Scholz - 2009 US National Team member (Lightweight Men's Quadruple Sculls) *Julie Nichols - 2008 US Olympic Team member (Alternate) * Josh Inman - 2008 US Olympic Team and 2007 US National Team member (Stroke in Men's Eight) *Libby (Elizabeth) Peters - 2008 US National Team member (Women's Lightweight Quadruple Sculls) * Wendy Tripician - 2007 US National Team member (Women's Lightweight Double Sculls) *Jana Heere - 2007 US National Team member (Women's Lightweight Double Sculls) *Hannah Moore - 2007 US National Team member (Women's Lightweight Quadruple Sculls) *Carey Brezler - 2007 US National Team member (Women's Lightweight Quadruple Sculls) *Mary Jones - 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 US National Team member (Pan Am Games Women's Lightweight Single Sculls Gold Medalist, World Championship Women's Lightweight Single Sculls, World Championship Women's Lightweight Double Sculls, Silver Medalist. ) *Julia Lonchar - 2019 US National Team Member (Pan Am Games Women's Double Sculls, silver. Women's Quadruple Sculls, bronze ) *Yohann Rigogne - 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 US National Team Member (Men's Coxed Pair, Men's 8+, Men's Single Sculls) *Zachary Heese - 2018 Under 23 US National Team Member (Men's Lightweight Single Sculls), 2019 US National Team Member (Men's Lightweight Quadruple Sculls), 2021 US Olympic Trials (1st place, Men's Lightweight Double Sculls) *Jasper Liu - 2019 US National Team Member (Men's Lightweight Quadruple Sculls), 2021 US Olympic Trials (1st place, Men's Lightweight Double Sculls) *Kieran Edwards - 2019 Under 23 US National Team Member (Men's Lightweight Quadruple Sculls) *Michelle Sechser - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 US National Team Member (Women's Lightweight Single Sculls, Quadruple Sculls, Double Sculls - bronze medalist), 2021 US Olympic Trials (1st place, Women's Lightweight Double Sculls) *Solveig Imsdahl - 2012 Under 23 US National Team (Women's Lightweight Quadruple Sculls), 2019 Pan Am Games US National Team (Women's Coxless Pair. Women's Quadruple Sculls, bronze) *Elizabeth Euiler - 2019 Pan American Games US National Team (Women's Coxless Pair) *Jonathan Kierkegaard - 2017 US National Team Member (Men's Quadruple Sculls), Henley Royal Regatta (Men's Quadruple Sculls, gold medalist), 2021 Us Olympic Trials (1st place, Men's Double Sculls) *Logan Smith - 2019 Pan American Games US National Team (Men's Coxless Pair, Men's 8+) *James Garay - 2019 Pan American Games US National Team (Men's Coxless Pair, Men's 8+) *Katherine McFetridge - 2015 Pan American Games (Women's Single Sculls, gold) *Nicole Ritchie - 2015 Pan American Games (Women's Double Sculls, silver. Women's Quadruple Sculls, silver) * Lindsay Meyer - 2008 US Olympic Team (Women's Quadruple Sculls), 2015 Pan American Games (Women's Double Sculls, silver. Women's Quadruple Sculls, silver)

Olympic medalists

* Louis Abell- gold medalist 1900 and 1904 * John Exley - gold medalist 1900 and 1904 * James Juvenal - gold medalist 1900 and silver medalist 1904 * Edward Marsh - gold medalist 1900 *

Harry Lott Harry Hunter Lott (January 13, 1880 – February 5, 1949) was an American rower who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the men's eight. He was born in Philadelphia. Lott rowed for the Vesper Boat Club while ...

- 1904 gold medalist * Stanley Cwiklinski - 1964 Eights gold medalist * Hugh Foley - 1964 Eights gold medalist * Gene Clapp - 1972 Men's eights silver medalist *

- Bronze medal 1956. Also competed in 1948, 1952, and 1960. *

Bill Maher William Maher (; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show '' Real Time with Bill Maher'' (2003–present) and the similar ...

- 1968 Men's Double Sculls bronze medal. Rowed for VBC in 1969."Yanks Nab Henley Rowing"

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and ''The Palm Beach Daily News'' ...

. 5 July 1969

References

External links

* *
Vesper Boat Club
on wikimapia.com {{Schuylkill Navy National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Philadelphia Cultural infrastructure completed in 1873 Victorian architecture in Pennsylvania Boathouse Row Schuylkill Navy Sports clubs established in 1865 1865 establishments in Pennsylvania Rowing clubs in Philadelphia Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Historic district contributing properties in Pennsylvania Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Boathouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania