Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net
Landmark: Water Works
On the Art Museum Grounds tour.
Water Nymph and Bittern
William Rush,
1809 (restored and reinstalled 2018)
* standing persoh,
bird,
fountain,
actual rocks
* Incorporated into and replaced the Water Works Fountain
* In the garden of the Water Works.
Schuylkill Banks near the Spring Garden Bridge.
* 39.965415,-75.183220 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+schuylkillbanks.org blog entry about this piece
+wikipedia.org's William Rush page
The Schuylkill Chained, The Schuylkill Freed
William Rush,
1825 (1980 fiberglass casts installed 1989)
* reclining people,
eagle,
waterworks machinery
* Roofs.
Two of the smaller buildings of the Water Works.
Along the river, near the Spring Garden bridge, off Kelly Drive around 26th.
* 39.966350,-75.183600 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+Max Buten's picture of this piece
+phillyhistory.org 1930 picture of the original piece
+phillyhistory.org another 1930 picture of the original piece
+associationforpublicart.org's page for this piece
+wikipedia.org's William Rush page
Eagle
1835 (alleged construction date of the gazebo)
* eagle
* Gazebo roof.
On the grounds of the Water Works.
Overlooking the Schuylkill. Off Kelly Drive around 26th..
* 39.966970,-75.184625 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+Wally Gobetz's picture of this piece at flickr.com
Graff Memorial
Hugh Cannon,
1848 (restored 2006)
* In memory of Frederick Graff
* small
gazebo,
bust
* The bust in the second picture was added after the first picture was taken.
* inscription:
To the memory of Frederick Graff, who designed and executed the Fairmount Water Works. Erected by the City Councils of Philadelphia, June 1, 1848
* In the garden of the Water Works.
Along the Schuylkill Banks, near the Spring Garden Bridge.
* 39.965625,-75.183250 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+phillyhistory.org 1933 picture of this piece
+librarycompany.org picture of this piece with artist information
+pafa.org's Hugh Cannon page
+wikipedia.org's Frederick Graff page
Peace Fountain
1865 (based on the inscription)
* house-like structure,
water fountain
* inscription:
Peace
June 1865
* In the garden of the Water Works.
Schuylkill Banks near the Spring Garden Bridge.
* 39.965380,-75.183075 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Peace and Love
* See also:
+phillyhistory.org 1954 picture of this piece
Philadelphia and the Schuylkill River
Anthony Walmsley,
1994
* quotes from Charles Dickens,
John P. Shelden,
Frances Trollope
and
Mark Twain
* signs,
sheep,
locomotive,
machines and tools,
basket and barrel,
buildings,
maps,
plants,
food,
benches
with quotes
* An outdoor history exhibit with artistic elements funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Images and objects are cast from originals in the collections of the American Philosophical Society, the Franklin Institute, the Hagley Museum and Library, and the New Jersey State Museum.
* inscription:
benches:
"The Water Works...are no less Ornamental than Useful,
being Tastefully Laid Out as a Public Garden..."
-Charles Dickens
"I Passed Along the Pavement by the
Pump-House... I went in.
I saw Immense Water-Wheels.."
-Mark Twain (1853) Missouri
"The Celebrated Works on the Schuylkill,
by which the Water of the River is Raised
...are Beyond Praise"
-John P. Shelden (1825) Michigan
"But interesting[?] and Curious as this
Machinery is, it is, In Truth, One of the
Prettiest Spots the Eye can look upon."
-Frances Trollope (1830) England
* Water Works.
Esplanade Walkway, Schuylkill Banks, North of the Spring Garden Bridge.
* 39.965325,-75.183450 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Mass Transit
* See also:
+Fairmount Water Works Esplande Walkway Exhibits: final report, 1994 at noaa.gov
+wikipedia.org's Charles Dickens page
+wikipedia.org's Frances Milton Trollope page
+wikipedia.org's Mark Twain page
Ernesta Drinker Ballard Memorial
2006
* In honor of Ernesta Drinker Ballard
* small
urn/planter
* inscription:
In honor of
Ernesta Drinker Ballard
1920-2005
Ernesta was the moving force behind the restoration of the
Fairmount Water Works and these gardens.
Fairmount Park Commissioner from 1981 to 2002 and a founding
member of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, she was a civic leader,
a feminist, a beloved friend.
"The world is a better place if everyone is included" - EDB 2001
Erected September 10, 2006
* In the gardens of the Water Works.
Schuylkill Banks near the Spring Garden Bridge..
* 39.965740,-75.183035 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+hmdb.com's page for this piece
+wikipedia.org's Ernesta Drinker Ballard page
Water Works Fountain
2006 (repurposed 2018)
* fountain,
rocks
* Reconfigured as the base of Water Nymph and Bittern
* In the garden of the Water Works.
Schuylkill Banks near the Spring Garden Bridge.
* 39.965415,-75.183220 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Missing
