Fairmount Waterworks, East bank of Schuylkill River, Aquarium Drive, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

See also HABS PA-1654 for additional documentation.

Significance: The Fairmount Water Works is perhaps the premier example of early nineteenth-century American industrial architecture. It was built to supply Philadelphia with a reliable source of fresh water. During its operational life the Fairmount Water Works employed a wide variety of hydraulic technologies including steam engines, wooden and cast iron breast wheels, and iron water turbines. Known as the "Mecca of hydraulic engineers" the Fairmount Water Works greatly influenced subsequent municipal water works development throughout the United States.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-2

Survey number: HAER PA-51

Building/structure dates: 1814- 1815 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1821- 1822 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1860- 1862 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1867- 1872 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1909- 1911 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: ca. 1950 Subsequent Work

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 76001662

waterworks stone buildings octagonal buildings civil engineering historic sites water supply water power hydraulic engineering building deterioration fairmount fairmount waterworks bank east bank schuylkill schuylkill river aquarium drive aquarium drive philadelphia philadelphia county pennsylvania richard k anderson henry p m birkenbine jack e boucher m cynthia brey william briggs drury bromley brian cary kathleen m coelos ariel cooley john davis peter c doo oliver evans fairmount park commission susan stein ganelin emile e geyelin jane mork gibson frederick graff j todd graham edward heston historic american engineering record maryjoel holin i p morris and company junior league of philadelphia william kemble benjamin henry latrobe joseph s lewis h reed longnecker mars works hugh j mccauley william h mcfadden merrick and towne levi morris thomas oakes samuel ogdin philadelphia water department reeve and lewis samuel richards rush and muhlenberg william rush schuylkill navigation company jonas smith west engine company of norristown west point foundry weymouth forge photo ultra high resolution high resolution library of congress national register of historic places

1950

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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