Fairmount Rowing Association
American rowing club From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fairmount Rowing Association is an amateur rowing club, founded in 1877. The facility, located at #2 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] Fairmount originally catered to blue-collar youths living in the Fairmount neighborhood.[3] In 1916, after decades of being rejected, the club was finally allowed to join the Schuylkill Navy.[3] The Club boasts being known as the "premiere club for Masters rowing in the mid-Atlantic region"[3] and has produced several world class rowers.[4][5][6]
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Location | #2 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. |
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Home water | Schuylkill River |
Established | 1877 |
Navy admission | 1916 |
Key people |
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Colors | Blue and White |
Affiliations | La Salle University, Episcopal Academy |
Website | fairmountrowing.com |
Fairmount Rowing Association | |
Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Coordinates | 39.96923°N 75.18593°W |
Part of | Boathouse Row (ID87000821[1]) |
Added to NRHP | February 27, 1987 |
History of the boathouse
Summarize
Perspective

The structure currently known as #2 Boathouse Row is a result of a 1945 expansion project that eliminated #3 Boathouse Row by merging it into Fairmount Rowing Association's building at #2 Boathouse Row.[3]
Pacific Barge Club
Pacific Barge Club was founded in 1859, but was not a member of the Schuylkill Navy.[7] In 1860, Pacific Barge Club built a stone cottage-style boathouse at the site of #2 Boathouse row.[7] Half of the building was occupied by the Pacific Barge Club while the other half was rented to the Philadelphia Boat Club.[7] In 1881, the Fairmount Rowing Association purchased #2 Boathouse Row and Pacific Barge Club's equipment.[3]
In 1904, Fairmount Rowing demolished the stone building built by Pacific Barge Club. Walter Smedley, a founder of the T-Square Club, designed the Georgian Revival style Flemish bond brick structure that replaced the 1860 stone boathouse and now occupies the southern half of the Fairmount Rowing's boathouse.[3] Smedley, specialized in colonial revival residences, and also designed the Northern National Bank and the West Philadelphia Title and Trust Company.[8]
Camilla Boat Club and Quaker City Barge Club
Camilla Boat Club was a founding member of the Schuylkill Navy.[9] Camilla was a champion of the Schuylkill, but the Club disband as a result of disagreements between members.[10] In 1858, the remnants of the defunct Camilla Boat Club reorganized to form Quaker City Barge Club.[11]
By 1866, Quaker City Barge Club had purchased #3 Boathouse Row from the Pacific Barge Club.[12] Among various rowing accomplishment, Quaker City raced the first four oared boat with coxswain.[13] The Quaker City Barge Club began to decline in the 1880s and never raced in the Schuylkill Navy Regatta after 1926.[3] In 1932, the Quaker City Barge Club declared itself “inactive” in the Schuylkill Navy and became completely defunct in the 1940s.[3] In 1945, under the leadership of John Carlin, Fairmount Rowing Association bought Quaker City Barge Club's equipment and absorbed its boathouse, which now serves as the northern half of Fairmount Rowing's boathouse.[3]
- Fairmount Rowing Association,
#2 Boathouse Row.
References
Further reading
External links
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