About the Fairmount Water Works

About the Fund for the Water Works

Starting in 1815, the Fairmount Water Works was Philadelphia’s only drinking water pumping station. For almost 100 years, the Water Works pumped fresh water from the Schuylkill River across the city. In addition, its beautiful grounds along the riverbank became a place for recreation.

Over time, newer technologies emerged, and the pumping station was no longer needed. The Philadelphia Aquarium and, later, a public swimming pool operated at the Water Works. But the pool closed in 1972, and the Water Works building and grounds began to deteriorate.

The Fund for the Water Works, a city-founded nonprofit, was formed in 1998 to restore the Fairmount Water Works, by then designated a national historic landmark. The Fund partnered with the Fairmount Park Commission (now called Philadelphia Parks and Recreation) and the Philadelphia Water Department to promote long-term care and use of the buildings and surrounding campus.

In the first decade of the Fund, philanthropist and park commissioner Ernesta Ballard oversaw the restoration of the entire site with over $30 million raised. The first two phases restored the buildings, plazas, and the signature railing that surrounds the main buildings. The subsequent phases restored the historic South Garden and the intricate Cliff Path Trail system and gazebos. Philadelphia Parks and Recreation then restored the 1926 Italian Fountain, forming a grand gateway to the campus, and created the new Fairmount Boardwalk and Trail.

Over the last decade, the Fund expanded its mission to support projects and programming at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center and the Floating Water Workshop. This focus recognizes that activating the Fairmount Water Works campus and recruiting people to share in the work of protecting our waterways is another important tool to guarantee a bright future for this iconic landmark.