PA -- Philadelphia -- Fairmount Water Works -- Notes:
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Partially Reviewed: Rough draft. I've gone through these pictures once, removing the worst ones, some duplication, etc. I usually take sequences of 4 or 5 pictures at a time and there are lots of near duplicates. I'll be doing a final review later which allows me compare the pictures that survived the first cut and make final determinations of what pictures to keep.
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Various Signs: Fairmount Water Works:
South Garden and Cliffside Paths:
A restoration project of the Fairmount Park Conservancy:
In the 1800s, the Fairmount Water Works (the three stucco buildings on the bank of the Schuykill River here) served as the City of Philadelphia's pumping and filtration system. Above, where the Philadelphia Museum of Art stands today, was the reservoir that held the city's filtered water supply. Among the world's most advanced municipal water systems, the Water Works was and will again be an architectural masterpiece in a beautiful park-like setting.
Wikipedia Description: Fairmount Water Works
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first municipal waterworks in the United States. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1819 and 1822 it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is once again in the process of winning back visitors, having now opened an Interpretive Center to aid in understanding the waterworks' purpose and history.
History:
Following a series of yellow fever epidemics in the late 1700s (which was at the time thought to be caused by unclean water) city leaders appointed a "Watering Committee". The initial water system was designed by Benjamin Latrobe and accepted by the committee in 1799. His system utilized two steam engines to pump water from the Schuylkill River, into the city, then into two water tanks. From the water tanks, the water was gravity fed into a series of wooden water mains. The system was plagued with problems. If either of the steam engines failed, the water supply to the city was cut off.
The committee began searching for another solution and eventually picked John David and Frederick Graff to design a new waterworks, in order to meet the demand of the increasing numbers of city residents.
The waterworks were constructed between 1819 and 1822 on the banks of the Schuylkill River. The waterworks initially consisted of a 3 million gallon (11,350,000 lt) reservoir and a pump house using steam engines to pump water. In 1822, a 1,600-foot (487 mt) dam was built across the Schuylkill to direct water to three water wheels that replaced the steam engine. Later, Jonval turbines were used to lift the water.
The facility, the industrial nature of which was disguised by a Greek Revival exterior, became a tourist attraction for its beauty and its location on the riverside. Visitors included Charles ...More...
Directly Related Pages: Other pages here that have content directly related to this one:
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2007_PA_Water_Works: PA -- Philadelphia -- Fairmount Water Works (25 photos from 2007)
2010_07_11K_Water_Works: PA -- Philadelphia -- Fairmount Water Works (1 photos from 07/11/2010)
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Industry
2010 photos: Equipment this year: I was using mostly the Fuji S100fs until the third one broke and I started sending them back for repairs. Then I used either the Fuji S200EHX or the Nikon D90.
Trips this year: I've got so many local commitments that I'm having trouble getting away. I drove out to Lexington, Kentucky to cover the Civil War Preservation Trust's annual conference in June. I flew out to California and Nevada for two weeks in July for the San Diego Comic-Con.
Ego strokes: Nothing major so far.
Photos taken this year: 260,000 through August -- down about 5 percent from last year's frenetic pace.
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