Rekindling Philadelphia’s Historic Boathouse Row
In the late 19th century, the 12 historic houses of Boathouse Row, along the Schuylkill River, were constructed thanks to the private investments by individual rowers, many of whom were factory workers from the neighboring breweries and textile mills of East Falls in Philadelphia. For more than 150 years, the care and uptake for the houses has been maintained via the efforts of volunteers. But it took until 1979 to finally see the light, when the installation of illumination created a welcoming nighttime attraction for the public.
“The original lighting in 1979 was incandescent, and they traced out the main features of each house,” explained Jonathan T. Hoyle, principal at The Lighting Practice, which designed the upgraded custom lighting system and enhanced mounting channels. “That worked well for almost 30 years and then, in 2005, they were completely replaced with LEDs. Those LEDs lasted another 11 years and, in 2016, there was a partial refurbishment of that system. We’ve now completed a replacement of that system, and we’re excited about the new capabilities that will better celebrate these iconic boathouses in a way that they really deserve.”
The $2.1 million project, managed by Fairmount Park Conservancy, completely replaced a failing system that struggled with significant connectivity challenges, regular power outages and mounting issues. The previous LEDs experienced interruptions due to damage from animals, weather and equipment vulnerability, causing ongoing maintenance issues.The houses went dark in March 2023 so that the old illumination system could be removed, and during that time, each of the boathouses addressed building repairs that were previously inaccessible due to the placement of the lights. Members of the Schuylkill Navy, an association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia, invested more than $850,000 in repairs and maintenance, such as new stucco, woodwork and trim, as well as replacing and rebuilding stone and brick masonry. An enhanced system was then added that comprises 6,400 individual LED lights—with 16 million color combinations—and possesses the ability to change from one color to another and/or sparkle or “dance” along the boathouses. The illumination can fade from one house to the next, creating ombre effects and highlighting eclectic architectural features of the historic structures with different colors. The new system was unveiled to the public in March 2024.
“The previous system from 2005 was a Color Kinetics product that experienced ongoing maintenance issues from animals, weather and equipment vulnerability,” said Hoyle. “In 2016, following the partial refurbishment, some of the issues persisted. The question we asked ourselves was ‘How do we safeguard this system to the best of our abilities to reduce that damage?’ We looked at a number of different manufacturers but many of the products were similar in quality to what was already being used. Since there was an existing control backbone, we made the recommendation to continue using Color Kinetics as the light source.”
The older system housed the light strings in black- or white-colored plastic channels, but the goal was to create consistency while employing materials that would last longer and offer better protection, such as powder-coat painted, galvanizedsteel channels. The power supply system, which was spread across roofs and the sides of buildings, was consolidated to one central control location— Lloyd Hall on Boathouse Row. By moving all of the power supplies to weatherproof enclosures in one location, maintenance was simplified and the controls were easily accessible.
“Schuylkill Navy was a fantastic partner,” noted Matthew Fracassini, associate, The Lighting Practice. “We had a lot of conversations with them, Fairmount Park Conservancy and the electrical contractor, Eagle Industrial Electric, who used stainless-steel hardware and straps, neoprene gaskets and additional materials to ensure that the system was as durable as possible. We learned a lot about the different mounting points and surfaces on the houses, and Schuylkill Navy and Fairmount Park provided helpful feedback about what was possible and what needed to be avoided.”
The Boathouse Row Lights can now be booked for special events, holidays, sponsored shows and individual requests, with fees benefiting ongoing illumination maintenance. A new Instagram handle, @boathouserowlights, regularly showcases new displays and details special events and unique lightings.
“Boathouse Row is so available to the public,” noted Fracassini. “It’s this landmark that people can see from the Schuylkill Expressway that, for better or worse, people spend a lot of time on, and it’s visible from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on the west side of the river. Even more than other iconic illuminated parts of the Philadelphia’s skyline, it’s closer to the public.”
Hoyle added, “It’s exciting to see the whole thing working again. But, more importantly, it’s rewarding to see all of the other people who are excited about it too.”