Fairmount Water Works

Fairmount Water Works sits on the east bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, where a dam built in 1819 diverted water into a forebay cut from solid rock. Frederick Graff, a former chief draftsman for Benjamin Latrobe, designed and directed the works, which began pumping water in 1822 and were powered by eight water wheels in a stone mill-house of 238 by 56 feet. The Roman Revival pavilions with Doric porticos at each end reflected the classical style of the period, and the complex was regarded as an early joining of engineering and architecture. Sculptures by William Rush, including Schuylkill Chained and Schuylkill Freed, were placed at its entrances, and the grounds grew into the nucleus of Fairmount Park. The works were closed around 1911 and later converted to an aquarium. Its significance rests on its engineering firsts, its classical design, and its role as an early public landscape in Philadelphia.