Lafayette Historic Tour of Fairmount Water Works
2026-05-02 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-05-23 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
The Marquis de Lafayette was 19 when he first came to America in 1777 to fight for its freedom. When he returned in August, 1824 for his farewell tour he was 67. At the end of his tour, in the summer of 1825, Lafayette visited Philadelphia once more, specifically to see the dedication of the Fairmount Water Works with a tour by the watering committee. He referred to it as “the perfect embodiment of the American Government, in which were combined simplicity, power, and economy.”
Join us for a guided interpretation of the 1815 engineering marvel that so impressed Lafayette on his Philadelphia visit. Tours will include excerpts from the extensive writings of both Lafayette and his secretary, Auguste Levasseur, about their experience at the site, that is now designated a Historic Landmark building.
Open to all. Free. Registration preferred.
Open to all, free admission

World Heritage Month: Loving Our Landmarks Tour
2026-05-06 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-05-20 16:00 - 17:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Come experience the story of Philadelphia’s water—past, present, and future. Join us for our Cultural Heritage Tour at one of Philadelphia’s most iconic landmarks. 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.
Tour guide Ellen Freedman Schultz, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center and Philadelphia Water Department, will show rarely seen “before” images of the late 20th-century rehabilitation of the site and will talk about other water heritage sites throughout the world. All will inspire conversations about the challenges and possibilities for the protection of our significant water heritage sites.
The guided tour will reaffirm that the historic Fairmount Water Works still stands as a beautiful and enduring symbol of the city’s commitment to providing clean public drinking water and across the globe.

CURRENTS: A Multimedia Exhibition Opening Reception
2026-05-09 13:00 - 16:00
In CURRENTS, ten prominent local artists will expose the hidden mysteries of the raw architecture and underground corridors beneath the historic Fairmount Water Works (FWW).
Imaginative site-specific artworks will immerse visitors in the voices of the river and the history and ecology of the Water Works and its environs. Trickling harmonic notes will accompany ephemeral video projections while haunting multi-media installations will connect colonial times to both the real present and an imagined future 250 years ahead.
CURRENTS is curated by Philadelphia Sculptors, and is a FWW, PHL250 and Global Philadelphia World Heritage Month event.
Philadelphia Sculptors works to promote contemporary sculpture and expand public awareness of the role and value of sculpture through exhibitions, public forums, and educational outreach.
Co-Curators: Elaine Crivelli, Leslie Kaufman, and Marsha Moss.

Participating Artists: Joy Feasley and Paul Swenbeck, Julianna Foster, Carolyn Healy and John Phillips, Nadia Hironaka and Matthew Suib, Eugene Lew, Martha McDonald, and Taji Ra’oof Nahl.

Naked Stark: Open Outdoor Rehearsals
2026-05-13 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-14 11:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-15 13:00 - 17:00
OPEN REHEARSALS OUTSIDE AT FAIRMOUNT WATER WORKS
Catch a glimpse of the Naked Stark Artistic Collaborators rehearsing for their full-length performance FLOOD BEGIN AGAIN premiering in the fall! These outdoor rehearsals are unique opportunities to witness us co-create in collaboration with live music, set pieces, and the architecture of this historic site.
Photos by Channing Billups

WE THE PEOPLE: Preserve Our Right To Clean Water Preview Reception
2026-05-14 16:30 - 18:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
WE THE PEOPLE: Preserve Our Right To Clean Water
4th Annual Special Fine Art Exhibition
Preview Reception
The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has been a national leader in educating the public about the value of clean water and the need for public stewardship of our regional and local watersheds. This exhibition encapsulates these ideas and invites visitors to engage in thought and discussion sparked by a series of events which celebrate clean water including a fine art exhibition, installations, dance performances and interactive displays throughout the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (FWWIC).
The exhibition will be open to the public from May 16 to August 1, 2026.
Participating Artists: Keith Breitfeller , *Emily Brown, Brian David Dennis, Thom Duffy, **Benjamin Passione, Rinal Parikh ,
Amie Potsic, Ana Vizcarra Rankin, Robert Reinhardt and Michael Williamson.
Courtesy of Galleries: *Avery Galleries and **Gross McCleaf Gallery.
The exhibition is curated by Thom Duffy under the direction of Karen Young, FWWIC Director, and brought to you in part by the Fund for the Water Works and the Edward F. Grusheski Water Literacy Foundation.

Curator-Led Tour of WE THE PEOPLE Fine Art Exhibition
2026-05-16 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-16 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-30 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-30 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-13 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
ART EXHIBIT TOURS
WE THE PEOPLE: 4th ANNUAL ART EXHIBIT AT FWWIC
We welcome visitors to register in advance for personal and engaging tours with Thom Duffy, Curator. Visitors will also be greeted by contributing artists. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from artists who are featured in this special exhibition !
Register HERE.

CURRENTS: Taji Ra'oof Nahl - Special Artist Performance
2026-05-16 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us in this Special Artist Performance of CURRENTS!
In CURRENTS, imaginative site-specific artworks will immerse visitors in the voices of the river and the history and ecology of the Water Works and its environs. Trickling harmonic notes will accompany ephemeral video projections while haunting multi-media installations will connect colonial times to both the real present and an imagined future 250 years ahead.

Taji Ra’oof Nahl is a conceptual artist working across sculpture, film, sound, and collective study. He is a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Arts. He is the architect of the TR7 Ecosystem—an evolving platform that organizes installations, moving image, performance, and collaboration into a unified cultural infrastructure. His work operates through Field Trips, Video Almanacs, live scoring sessions, and staged productions that examine overlooked histories and the movement of knowledge through civic space.
CURRENTS is curated by Philadelphia Sculptors, and is a FWW, PHL250 and Global Philadelphia World Heritage Month event.
Philadelphia Sculptors works to promote contemporary sculpture and expand public awareness of the role and value of sculpture through exhibitions, public forums, and educational outreach.
Co-Curators: Elaine Crivelli, Leslie Kaufman, and Marsha Moss.

Said in Stone: Statuary Art at Fairmount Water Works
2026-05-27 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-06-10 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-06-24 16:00 - 17:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us for Said in Stone: Statuary Art at Fairmount Water Works, a tour focusing on the “form” that complements the “function” of our National Historic Landmark.
Along with the history, learn about the artistic expression of this site through the architecture, fountains, sculpture, landscape design and the Schuylkill River School of Painting. The beauty of the form brought attention to the critical function of the Fairmount Water Works.

CURRENTS: Martha McDonald - Special Artist Performance
2026-05-30 14:30 - 15:30, 2026-05-31 14:30 - 15:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us in this Special Artist Performance of CURRENTS!
River Ode: The Schuylkill Freed is a site-specific performance by Martha McDonald exploring the history of the Fairmount Water Works and the life of the Schuylkill River. Sited in the abandoned John B. Kelly Pool on the ground floor of the historic building, the performance will activate the space through movement, costume and original music reflecting on the engineering feats that harnessed the power of the river to bring clean water to the people; tales of the Schuylkill Rangers, 19th century Irish river pirates from nearby Grays Ferry; and the rebirth of the river after decades of pollution.
Anchoring the piece in the Semiquincentennial, McDonald will play a glass armonica—an instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin that uses water to make music. A series of spinning glass bowls that create ethereal tones when touched with wet fingers, the glass armonica evokes the water wheels that once hummed in this building and conjures a mournful resonance within its crumbling walls.
CURRENTS is curated by Philadelphia Sculptors, and is a FWW, PHL250 and Global Philadelphia World Heritage Month event.
Philadelphia Sculptors works to promote contemporary sculpture and expand public awareness of the role and value of sculpture through exhibitions, public forums, and educational outreach.
Co-Curators: Elaine Crivelli, Leslie Kaufman, and Marsha Moss.

Special Sunday- Building Open
2026-05-31 13:00 - 17:00
We will be open Sunday May 31st from 1 PM – 5 PM.

Understanding the Urban Watershed - Kayak Program
2026-06-06 10:30 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Start at Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center: collect water samples from the river and try your hand at identifying some of the microlife we’ll find. Explore the history of Philadelphia’s innovative water supply system. Get to know the freshwater mussel species we are propagating in our hatchery.
After a brief lunch break (we provide), we will hike down the Schuylkill River Trail (about 1 mile) to the Walnut Street Dock, where kayaks await. Hidden River Outfitters will give a brief orientation to paddling and then we’ll get into our kayaks and out on the river!
This program is geared towards families with youth ages 12 and up. (12 years is the minimum age allowed). All participants must sign a kayak waiver, and participants aged 12-18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who will need to sign the minor’s kayak waiver.
Meet at Fairmount water Works at 10:30am. Space is limited; 20-person maximum. Advance registration required. Fee: $10/person.
This program is made possible through a partnership between Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center and Schuylkill River Development Corporation.
Email emily.m.romberger@phila.gov, Environmental Education Planner, FWWIC, for more information.

CURRENTS: Eugene Lew - Special Artist Performance
2026-06-06 15:00 - 16:00 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us in this Special Artist Performance of CURRENTS!
In CURRENTS, imaginative site-specific artworks will immerse visitors in the voices of the river and the history and ecology of the Water Works and its environs. Trickling harmonic notes will accompany ephemeral video projections while haunting multi-media installations will connect colonial times to both the real present and an imagined future 250 years ahead.

Eugene Lew is an artist, educator, rock gardener and producer of performances, attempted transformation and playback of shared IRL experiences with a sound/music basis. Eugene creates a dry landscape garden (a karesansui) in the Kelly Natatorium suggesting the pool’s history and linking to the rolling flow of the nearby Schuylkill River. The artist will create a soundscape using sounds recorded from the river that will be used to accompany Hironaka and Suib’s installation. Bells will ring to echo passing of time, memories, and signal collective possibilities

CENTAUR CLAUSE

Aaron Igler – bells, electronics

Eugene Lew – bells, electronics

CURRENTS is curated by Philadelphia Sculptors, and is a FWW, PHL250 and Global Philadelphia World Heritage Month event.
Philadelphia Sculptors works to promote contemporary sculpture and expand public awareness of the role and value of sculpture through exhibitions, public forums, and educational outreach.
Co-Curators: Elaine Crivelli, Leslie Kaufman, and Marsha Moss.

Loving Our Landmarks Tour
2026-06-11 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-06-25 16:00 - 17:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Come experience the story of Philadelphia’s water—past, present, and future. Join us for our Cultural Heritage Tour at one of Philadelphia’s most iconic landmarks. 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.
Guests will get to see rarely seen “before” images of the late 20th-century rehabilitation of the site and will talk about other water heritage sites throughout the world. All will inspire conversations about the challenges and possibilities for the protection of our significant water heritage sites.
The guided tour will reaffirm that the historic Fairmount Water Works still stands as a beautiful and enduring symbol of the city’s commitment to providing clean public drinking water and across the globe.

We are closed at 1pm on June 18
2026-06-18 13:00 - 17:00
In honor of Juneteenth Day, we will be closed at 1 PM on Thursday June 18th and all day on Friday June 19th.

Juneteenth Day-Building Closed
2026-06-19 10:00 - 17:00
In honor of Juneteenth Day, we will be closed on Friday June 19th all day.

Wawa Welcome America: Free Museum Day
2026-06-20 10:00 - 17:00 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary by visiting Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center on June 20.

The FWW Interpretive Center is always free to visit, but on Saturday, June 20, FWW is partnering with Wawa Welcome America for Free Museum Day! Join us for special guided tours of the Fairmount Water Works, a National Historic Landmark and a special Dew Drop In activity for families!
One of 67 National Historic Landmarks in the city of Philadelphia, Fairmount Water Works tells the story of the rise of the first successful water supply system in our young nation. From innovative engineering and design to neoclassical architecture, Fairmount Water Works served as one of our nation’s top-visited tourist attractions while supplying the pristine water of the Schuylkill River to our growing city’s population. Join us in June to tour this renowned landmark.
Tours start at 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM. Tours are free, but please register here.
Dew Drop In: 1:00 – 4:00 PM. Make your very own water wheel and explore how water power was used in the 19th century to supply drinking water to citizens of Philadelphia. No registration needed – just drop in!!
