Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club
| Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1938 |
| Navy admission | 1967[1] |
| President | Sophie Socha |
| Location | #14 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. |
| Home water | Schuylkill River |
| Colors | Royal Blue and White |
| Affiliated programs | Agnes Irwin School |
| Website | philadelphiagirlsrowingclub.com |
Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club (commonly abbreviated PGRC) is an amateur rowing club located at #14 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest all-female rowing club in existence.[2] Built in 1860, the Club's boathouse is the oldest structure on Boathouse Row,[1] which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.[3] PGRC was founded in 1938 by seventeen women (mostly wives of oarsmen at other clubs) who wanted to participate in the then predominantly male sport of rowing.[1][2]
Contents |
History of the boathouse
In 1860, Philadelphia City Council authorized construction of the structure that is now #14 Boathouse Row for the purpose of housing the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society.[4]
Architect, James C. Sidney, designed the building to provide for the Skating Club, but also included a basement facility to store boats for neighboring rowing clubs whose boat houses were scheduled to be removed by the City.[5] Samuel Sloan, a well-known Philadelphia architect, likely influenced the design of #14 Boathouse Row with his rendering of “Italian Villa,” Plate XXIV, in his book "Model Architect."[6] The construction cost $4,900 and was completed in 1861.[7]
The Undine and University Barge Clubs housed their boats at the Philadelphia Skating Club building until the City permitted them to build their own structures in 1882 and 1871, respectively.[8] From 1884 through 1895, the second Iona Boat Club (now defunct) occupied the space in the building left vacant by Undine Barge Club.[8]
With the advent of artificially frozen indoor skating rinks at the beginning of the 20th Century, skating on the Schuylkill River declined precipitously.[9] In 1965, PGRC purchased the boathouse from the Philadelphia Skating Club.[10]
Occupant timeline
Photo gallery
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c Stillner, p. 105
- ^ a b Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta 2009 Program. Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. 2009. p. 19. http://www.hosr.org/2009HOSRPROGRAM.pdf. Retrieved 30 April 2010
- ^ "Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State". National Historic Landmarks Survey, National Park Service. p. 81. http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/Lists/LIST07.pdf. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ^ Stillner, p. 5
- ^ Stillner, pp. 21-22
- ^ Stillner, p. 24
- ^ Stillner, p. 22
- ^ a b Stillner, p. 28
- ^ Stillner, p. 29
- ^ "Boathouse Row". Living Places. http://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Philadelphia_County/Philadelphia_City/Boathouse_Row.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
References
- Stillner, Anna (2005). The Philadelphia Girls’ Rowing Club: An Incremental Historic Structure Report (Thesis). http://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/41. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
Further reading
- "National Registry of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form". NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. 27 November 1983. p. 666. http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NHLS&item=Text/87000821.djvu&style=nps/FOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item(SUMMARY,COPYRIGHT),cat(Name)&page=17. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- Lewis, John Frederick (1895). Skating and the Philadelphia Skating Club. Philadelphia. pp. 32–52. http://books.google.com/books?id=tbk6kjEaJS8C&pg=PA32.
- Sweeney, Joe. "The History of the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association: Part 2 - Beginning of the Clubs". Schuylkill Navy. http://www.boathouserow.org/pac/pachist2.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
External links
- "Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club on Boathouse Row". About.com. http://philadelphia.about.com/library/gallery/blkelly_drive42.htm. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- "Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club". Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philadelphia-Girls-Rowing-Club/188904560892. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- PGRC on wikimapia.org