Fairmount Water Works

Schuylkill River Trail Green Stormwater Infrastructure Tour
2021-05-22 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Lloyd Hall, 1 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join us on a walk along the Schuylkill River Trail
Running alongside the Schuylkill River, the Schuylkill River Trail is a 2021 Readers’ Choice Award nominee for Best Riverwalk.
Join Fairmount Water Works educators Saturday March 27th to learn about our favorite ½ mile of the 72-mile multi-use path which currently runs from S. 56th St in Philadelphia to Landingville, a small borough in Schuylkill County.
We will start our walk at Lloyd Hall and follow the trail south to the North End Rain Garden just past the Paine’s Park Skatepark. Along the way we will point out examples of green stormwater infrastructure projects, part of Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters initiative to increase greenspace while improving the health of the City’s waterways.
Stroll past the National Historic Landmark buildings and gardens of the Fairmount Water Works and learn more about the collection of buildings that have served the City of Philadelphia for over 200 years telling the story of our connection with water, past and present.
Meet at Lloyd Hall Recreation Center (1 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA 19130).
Total walking distance: about 1 mile.
Space is limited; 12-person maximum. Advance registration required.
In registering to attend this walking tour, you agree to the following:
• To wear a face mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times.
• To maintain six feet of distance between yourself and others not in your group.
• Participants will be asked to answer a set of questions regarding their COVID exposure the morning of the program. This can be done online.
Email stacey.heffernan@phila.gov, Environmental Education Planner, FWWIC, for more information.

Book Party & Exhibition Opening - "Inland: The Abandoned Canals of the Schuylkill Navigation"
2022-10-11 17:00 - 18:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Please join Sandy Sorlien and other contributors to celebrate the launch of Inland, a new book of photographs, maps, and essays about the historic Schuylkill Navigation system and its mostly-hidden ruins. Inland was published in hardcover by George F. Thompson Books, designed by Deborah Larkin in Philadelphia, and printed by Brilliant Graphics in Pennsylvania.

Main Point Books will be on site with books available for purchase ($45).

An exhibition of prints and maps from the book will be on view in the Media Gallery through January 8, 2023.

2023 World Water Day Program: United Nations of Rivers Walk
2023-03-17 12:00 - 17:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Facilitated by the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, in partnership with TU Delft, PortCityFutures, Philadelphia Water Department, Global Philadelphia, and the Alliance for Watershed Education, along with Schuylkill Banks, Schuylkill River Development Corporation, and Delaware River Development Corporation
Friends and colleagues of all ages are invited to walk downstream along the Schuylkill River trail, starting at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. Along the way, participants will be recorded answering a series of questions about the river, to give voice to all living things and how much we depend on the river and the river depends on us.
Returning together is optional.
This River Walk is part of a global program to record voices throughout the world. Recordings will be compiled and shared at Spitzer School of Architecture on Sunday March 19th as a pre-UN Water Conference 2023 Event. All are welcome to attend. Concurrent walks will take place along the Delaware River and Pennypack Creek (with students from Baldi Middle School)
Schedule:

12pm – Gather at Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
12:30pm – Start Schuylkill River Walk downstream.

Note:

Brown bag lunch. Philadelphia tap water provided.
The walk has no end time—weather and people dependent

Open invitation to friends and colleagues of all ages to walk downstream along the Schuylkill River.

2023 World Water Day Program: Water, Heritage Sites & Sustainability
2023-03-18 10:00 - 17:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
DAY 2: WATER, HERITAGE SITES & SUSTAINABILITY (SATURDAY, MARCH 18 from 10am – 5pm)
Facilitated by the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, In partnership with TU Delft, PortCityFutures, Philadelphia Water Department, Global Philadelphia, and the Alliance for Watershed Education.
A full day program open to everyone about water as a lead up to the UN Water Conference 2023 in NYC March 22-24th, a mid-term review of the objectives of “Water for Sustainable Development (2018-2028) hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.
A Delegation from the Netherlands will gather with Philadelphians at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center to affirm the central role water plays in sustainable development.
Program highlights include: speakers, lunch, guided tours of the Water Works, viewing of the award-winning “POOL: A Social History of Segregation”, and a closing preview of our latest exhibit “Inland: The Abandoned Canals of the Schuylkill Navigation” with Sandy Sorlien. Join us for informal conversations and serious game playing that will celebrate water, public engagement, place-based education and the conservation of historic and cultural sites associated with water.

High Water: An Informal History of Flooding in Philadelphia
2023-04-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Venice Island Performing Arts & Recreation Center, 7 Lock Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19127, United States
When a city is built along a river—and Philadelphia is wedged between two, the Schuylkill and the Delaware—floods are an inevitable occurrence, with sometimes tragic consequences. In this illustrated talk, environmental historian Adam Levine will talk about some of the worst floods ever to hit Philadelphia, beginning in the early 1800s and ending up with Hurricane Ida in 2021. He will also discuss the causes of different types of flooding that occur in urban areas, and what we can do to help mitigate future floods.
Levine has been delving into the history of Philadelphia’s rivers, streams, and water supply and drainage systems since 1998, as a consultant to the Philadelphia Water Department and as webmaster of waterhistoryPHL.org. His talks are always illuminating, and this one will include rarely-seen pictures, maps, and stories that he has uncovered in his years 25 years of research.
Adam Levine’s presentation kicks off SUBMERGED: A Changing Global Climate a special exhibition theme centered on flooding and Global Climate Change. The exhibition is directed by Karen Young for the Fairmount Water Works and curated by Thom Duffy. The exhibition’s purpose is to bring focus to historic and current extreme weather events impacting our region and the Planet’s struggle for survival. The show opens on EARTH DAY, Saturday, April 22 and closes July 29.

It Flowed from Fairmount: Brewing History Tour
2023-04-29 12:00 - 16:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Sure, people have loved drinking beer in the park for years, but did you know that beer was also made on these lands?
Before the city created the park, the banks of the Schuylkill River were valuable to emerging breweries for the harvesting and storage of ice, and the cold storage of lager beer in underground vaults.
Schedule:

Talk (12pm – 1pm)
Tour (1pm – 2:30pm)
Tasting (2:30pm – 3:30pm)
Brass Band Performance (3pm – 4pm)

Sponsored by Fairmount Park Conservancy.
Full details and registration here.

Closing Reception for "SUBMERGED: A Changing Global Climate"
2023-07-27 16:30 - 19:30 | PA
PLEASE JOIN US!
Catered light fare will be served.
Refreshments donated by 31st and Wharton.
CONTRIBUTING GALLERIES/ARTISTS
Independent Artists: Loren Berckey, Diane Burko, Rhea Cutillo, Andrea Krupp, Anabelle Rodríguez, Laura Storck and Maura Williams
Cerulean Arts Gallery: Pia De Girolamo, Richard Estell, Susan B. Howard, Frederic C. Kaplan, Michael Rossman and Jill A. Rupinski
Thom Duffy Fine Art: Thom Duffy and Andrés Tavárez
Bridgette Mayer Gallery: Arden Bendler Browning, Tim McFarlane and Rebecca Rutstein
Schwarz Gallery: Antique painting by Arthur Melzer
Hollis Taggart: Bill Scott
The exhibition is brought to you in part by Fund for the Water Works and the Ed F. Grusheski Water Literacy Foundation.

The Watershed is an Open Book
2023-11-18 12:00 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
A fun, family program for PreK-3rd grade and their caregivers. (All siblings welcome)
All programs are free, but pre-registration is required.
https://tinyurl.com/y89rkpzr

A PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION.

Take Me to the River: Boathouse Tour and More!
2023-12-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Lloyd Hall, 1 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Take Me to the River:
Boathouse Tour and More!
Adults and children 12 and up. Children aged 12-18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Meet at Lloyd Hall Recreation Center at 10am

Have you ever been curious about the 19th century boathouses lining the Schuylkill River? Together these historic buildings form the iconic Boathouse Row. Each rowing club is a member of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, the oldest amateur athletic governing body in America. Join us on a walk from Lloyd Hall to 12 Boathouse Row, home to Penn Athletic Club, for an inside tour of the building and to learn about the sport of rowing. Learn how Fairmount Water Work’s innovative technology and construction of Fairmount Dam set the stage for this very important recreation area.
At Fairmount Water Works, we will enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and a curator-led tour of the art exhibit “Take Me to the River”. One of the featured artists will discuss his special connection to the river through his artwork and demonstrate some of his most effective art techniques.
Learn about Philadelphia City Rowing, a program that is open to middle and high school students in the School District of Philadelphia, and where to get more information for interested students.
Program is free, but pre-registration is required. Space is limited.

To register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/take-me-to-the-river-boathouse-tour-and-more-tickets-764178998957?aff=oddtdtcreator

International Day of Sites & Monuments
2026-04-18 14:00 - 15:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
On Saturday, April 18, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., join the Fairmount Water Works for a Cultural Heritage Tour.
See how the Fairmount Water Works continues to meet the challenges of changing times — from a public health crisis in the 1800s, through the changing climate of the 21st century.
Ellen Freedman Schultz, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, will present rarely seen “before” images of the site’s late-20th-century rehabilitation. The tour will reaffirm how the historic Fairmount Water Works still stands as a beautiful and enduring symbol of the city’s commitment to providing clean public drinking water.
