The heart of America’s rowing community
Discover a unique National Historic Landmark – located on a picturesque stretch of the Schuylkill River. Boathouse Row is home to a row of 15 Victorian buildings – each being a rowing club with a unique history.
Love sports? Explore this beautiful setting, home to a national sporting scene with boathouses dating back as far as the 1860s to the Civil War era. The original frame boathouses were condemned by the city in 1859, some of which dated back to the 1830s.
The boathouse style
Each built in an individual fashion, only Boathouse No. 1, Lloyds Hall, is a public facility. The others – numbers 2 to 14 are all clubs belonging to the famous Schuylkill Navy. Boathouse 15 is home to the prestigious Sedgeley Club.
Hop-off the Philadelphia Big Bus Tour close by to explore one of the most beautiful parts of the river and to learn more about this historic sporting destination.
Other interesting facts about Boathouse Row
- A National Historic Landmark, Boathouse Row was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987
- Local universities Drexel, Penn and La Salle row out of boathouses on the river here
- The rowing scene took off in the 1830s after the construction of the Fairmount Dam and adjacent waterworks
- In 1858 the Schuylkill Navy was formed right here – the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the US
- Several major regattas are hosted by the boathouses on the row, including the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, Stotesbury Cup and Navy Day regatta.
