The Fairmount Water Works in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, was Philadelphia's second

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

. Designed in 1812 by

Frederick Graff Frederick Graff (27 August 1775 – 13 April 1847) was an American hydraulic engineer who designed and built the Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and unofficially invented the fire hydrant. Biography Graff was son to Jacob G ...

and originally finished in 1815, it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction. It now houses a restaurant and an interpretive center that explains the waterworks' purpose and local watershed history. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1976 for its architecture and its engineering innovations. It was the nation's first water supply to use paddle wheels to move water.

History

18th century

Following a series of yellow fever epidemics in the late 18th century, which was at the time thought to be caused by unclean water or by rotting matter in the streets, city leaders appointed a "Watering Committee". The initial water system was designed by

Benjamin Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was a British-American neoclassical architect who immigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, dr ...

and accepted by the committee in 1799. His system utilized two steam engines in series to pump water from the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

, into the city, then into two wooden tanks that held a total of just . From the wooden tanks, the water was gravity fed into a series of wooden water mains. The system was plagued with problems. If either of the steam engines failed, the water supply to the city was cut off. The committee began searching for another solution and eventually picked John Davis and Frederick Graff, Latrobe's apprentice and successor as chief engineer, to design a new waterworks, in order to meet the demand of the increasing numbers of city residents and to solve the problem of inadequate storage capacity.

19th century

The Fairmount Water Works was initially constructed between 1812 and 1815 on the east bank of the

. The Water Works initially consisted of a earthen reservoir atop Faire Mount at the present site of the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...

, and a pump house with two steam engines to pump water. Between 1819 and 1821, a dam was built across the Schuylkill to direct water to a Mill House with three water wheels that replaced the steam engines in 1822. Later, Jonval turbines were used to lift the water in a New Mill House and in the renovated Old Mill House. The facility, the industrial nature of which was disguised by a Classical Revival exterior, became a tourist attraction for its beauty and its location on the riverside. Visitors included

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, who praised it for its pleasant design and public usefulness. Another English visitor,

Fanny Trollope Frances Milton Trollope, also known as Fanny Trollope (10 March 1779 – 6 October 1863), was an English novelist who wrote as Mrs. Trollope or Mrs. Frances Trollope. Her book, ''Domestic Manners of the Americans'' (1832), observations from a t ...

, in her 1832 book ''

Domestic Manners of the Americans ''Domestic Manners of the Americans'' is a two-volume travel book by Frances Milton Trollope, published in 1832, which follows her travels through America and her residence in Cincinnati, at the time still a frontier town. Context Frances Troll ...

'', mentioned the Water Works:

There is one spot, however, about a mile from the town, which presents a lovely scene. The water-works of Philadelphia have not yet perhaps as wide extended fame as those of Marley, but they are not less deserving it. At a most beautiful point of the Schuylkill River the water has been forced up into a magnificent reservoir, ample and elevated enough to send it through the whole city. The vast yet simple machinery by which this is achieved is open to the public, who resort in such numbers to see it, that several evening stages run from Philadelphia to Fair Mount for their accommodation.Trollope, Fanny, ''Domestic Manners of the Americans'', Ch. 24.
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The Fairmount Water Works eventually closed in 1909 when several newer and more technologically updated facilities were built. File:Fairmount Water Works 07821r.jpg, Fairmount Water Works,

, between 1860 and 1880 File:Fairmount Waterworks 1835 (cropped).jpg, "Schuylkill Waterworks", 1835 engraving File:Fairmount Water Works 1874.jpg, Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia, about 1874 File:Fairmount Water Works Water Wheel Cutaway.jpg, Cutaway showing water wheel File:Fairmount Water Works Boiler System Cutaway.jpg, Cutaway showing boiler system File:Fairmount Water Works Jonval Turbine Cutaway.jpg, Cutaway showing Jonval turbine File:Bird's-eye view from Lemon Hill Observatory, E. Fairmount Park, by Cremer, James, 1821-1893-cropped-large.png,

Boathouse Row Boathouse Row is a historic site which is 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 fifteen boathouses housi ...

and Fairmount Water Works from Lemon Hill
(circa 1872–1874) File:John Rubens Smith, A View of Fairmount and the Water-Works (1837).jpg,

John Rubens Smith John Rubens Smith (January 23, 1775 – August 21, 1849) was a London-born Painting, painter, printmaker and art instructor who worked in the United States. Biography Smith was born in London where he first studied art with his father, John Rap ...

, "A View of Fairmount and the Water-Works", 1837

Fairmount Dam

Completed in 1822, Fairmount Dam cut diagonally across the river, channeled water into the Waterworks, and acted as a

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

. The Schuylkill is a

tidal river A tidal river is a river whose flow and level are caused by tides. A section of a larger river affected by the tides is a tidal reach, but it may sometimes be considered a tidal river if it had been given a separate and another title name. Gene ...

, so it also prevented brackish water in the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

from mixing with the fresh water. Above it, the dam created the "Schuylkill Pond", several miles of tranquil water used for recreation. File:Fairmount dam, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views-cropped-large.png, Fairmount Dam, from the rocks below File:Fairmount Falls, Phila. Pa, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views-cropped-large.png, "Fairmount Falls" File:Fairmount from West Philadelphia, by Newell, R., d. 1897.jpg, Fairmount Waterworks and Dam, from the west File:Schuylkill Falls, by R. Newell & Sons.png, Fairmount Dam, from the south File:Fairmount Water Works Dam.jpg, Current dam (built in 1928) and

in the background

20th century

After the waterworks closed in 1909 the facility was used for several purposes, including the Philadelphia Aquarium, which closed in 1962, and an indoor swimming pool which closed in 1973. Attempts have been made to return the waterworks to its previous position as an engaging tourist attraction. Despite a severe fire which caused setbacks to the restoration, an interpretive center has now been added and tours are regularly given. Its position near

and the

is hoped to aid in making it a regularly visited tourist site once more. The Fairmount Water Works buildings now house the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (FWWIC), a hands-on science and environmental educational center, created by the Philadelphia Water Department. The FWWIC offers interactive exhibits, lectures, events, and school programs.

21st century

In December 2004, Michael Karloutsos won a 25-year, $120,000/year lease with the

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, w ...

Commission. After a highly publicized renovation, Karloutsos opened Water Works Restaurant and Lounge within the Water Works on July 20, 2006. This restaurant closed in 2015, and an event venue opened shortly thereafter.

References

External links

Fairmont Water Works: 1800–1860
from American Studies at the University of Virginia
Water Works Restaurant

* *
Fairmount Water Works
at the

Historical Marker Database The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org) is an online database that documents locations of numerous historical markers and commemorative plaques in the United States as well as other countries. The database was launched in 2006 by computer progra ...

{{Authority control Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia East Fairmount Park Fairmount, Philadelphia Former pumping stations Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia Historic American Engineering Record in Philadelphia Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Industry museums in Pennsylvania Infrastructure completed in 1815 Museums in Philadelphia National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Schuylkill River Water supply infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places