Celebrating National Historic Preservation Month
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May is National Historic Preservation Month.
To celebrate, the Preservation Alliance asked 31 historic preservation leaders in Philadelphia to name a building that has inspired them and why. We invite you to watch this space daily and hear from leaders in the local preservation movement as they reveal the historic buildings that have inspired them.
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Mary Werner DeNadai, FAIA
Fairmount Waterworks
640 Waterworks Drive, Philadelphia
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When asked about which historic buildings have inspired me, I came up with a long list, especially here in our region. One place, however, checks off many boxes, however. That is the Fairmount Waterworks here in our fair city. I first became familiar with it back in 1980 when my firm at that time was selected to undertake a Feasibility Study for Adaptive Reuse options for the site. The Junior League of Philadelphia was a catalyst that worked with the city Water Department. It was headed back then by William Marrazzo. John Milner took the lead at our firm and David Hollenberg and I, among others, assisted. In 1975 it was listed as a National Engineering Landmark and in 1976 listed as a National Historic Landmark (NHL). To better appreciate the physical beauty of the Greek Revival Architecture, as well as the engineering innovations that were incorporated, one needs to know a bit of the history behind it.
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Following the Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia, the City created an entity, named the Watering Committee, to study measures to improve the drinking water. It was believed at the time that polluted well water (from nearby cesspools) might be one of the causes of the outbreak. In 1799, Benjamin Henry Latrobe was hired to design the city’s first central water supply system. It was situated at Centre Square (now the site of City Hall) where river water was channeled to a central reservoir and then distributed. It was not very successful. Consequently, Latrobe’s apprentice, Frederick Graff took over the design of a new site, from 1812-1815. It became known as the Fairmount Waterworks. That name derived from the nearby high point of the city – The Faire Mount. Water was pumped from the Schuylkill River up to that newly created reservoir and gravity-fed to the citizens who subscribed to that service. That reservoir site is now occupied by The Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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The original building is referred to as “The Old Engine House” and is now a restaurant venue. Beneath it is “The Old Millhouse” where Graff initially installed wooden water wheels to provide the power to pump the water up to the reservoir. By 1822 the site continued to expand and Robert Mills is said to have been the architect for the now iconic Greek Revival structures on the terrace platform. Crowning the two “Tempiettos” in the ensemble are sculptures by America’s first well-known sculptor, William Rush. Beneath them, turbines were installed to replace the water wheels. They continued to operate until 1909. What is also important to know, is that this site became the impetus of Fairmount Park itself. In order to protect the river water from pollution, the city began accessing properties on the adjacent hillsides. It is no wonder that people came from all over the world to stroll the gardens and landscape features; which they still do to this day.
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Mary Werner DeNadai, FAIA
Principal, John Milner Architects and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Preservation Alliance
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NEW VIRTUAL LECTURES
Watch from the safety and
comfort of your own home!
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Tuesday, May 12, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Boathouse Row: Untold Stories of a Philadelphia Icon
Presented by Dotty Brown
Digging into 150 years of archives for her book,
Boathouse Row, Waves of Change in the Birthplace of American Rowing
, Dotty Brown, a former editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, discovered quirky and fascinating stories behind the façade of these 19
th
century houses. She will reveal some of them, including: how one of Philadelphia’s best known architects came to build on Boathouse Row; its ties with two of the city’s 19
th
century firehouses; why Thomas Eakins’ early work focused on rowers; and the battle women fought for a house of their own in the all-male venue. Dotty blogs about the Row and its history on her website:
www.BoathouseRowTheBook.com
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Tuesday, May 19, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Art Deco in Philadelphia
Presented by Dr. David Brownlee
,
Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of 19th Century European Art,
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia contributed an exhilarating chapter to the history of "Art Deco," the colorful, invented modern style that offered an exciting alternative to the austere functionalism in the 1920s and 30s. The quintessential style of the Jazz Age, Art Deco brought brilliant color to the decoration of the Art Museum, introduced exotic motifs (including Mayan and Spanish Colonial) to the city's new skyscrapers, and contributed zig-zagging ornament to our radio stations and "automat" restaurants. It was also one of the components of the brilliant stylistic synthesis created by George Howe and William Lescaze in the era's greatest landmark, the PSFS Building.
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