Boathouse Row

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A daytime photo of Boathouse Row.

Boathouse Row at night. (All but the last boathouse on the right can also be seen in the daytime photo, from a slightly different angle.)

Philadelphia Portal

Boathouse Row is an historic site located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of a row of boathouses housing racing shells, on the east bank of the Schuylkill River. Each of the ten boathouses has its own history, and all have addresses on Kelly Drive (named after famous Philadelphia oarsman John B. Kelly, Jr.). The boathouses are part of a group known as the Schuylkill Navy, which encompasses several other boathouses along the river.

The group also hosts several major rowing regattas, including the Dad Vail Regatta, Stotesbury Cup Regatta, the Navy Day Regatta, the Independence Day Regatta, and the Head of the Schuylkill.

The boathouses are seen as centers of the rowing community around the United States. Rowers from the boathouses compete at every level, from local clubs, high school and college programs, summer racing programs to international-level athletes.

In 1979, lights, designed by architectural lighting designer Raymond Grenald, were installed to outline each of the boathouses, giving them a nightly Christmas-like gingerbread-house appearance and reflecting beautifully in the Schuylkill River ^[1]. He was inspired to propose the lights after hearing that there had been talk of destroying the decaying Victorian boathouses. Lights on the buildings at night would serve to make them more noticed and appreciated. In 2005, after two refurbishings, the houses were outfitted with computerized LEDs that can light up in various colors, depending on the event or season.

Boathouse Row is a National Historic Landmark and was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.