PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Boathouse Row is going dark for an eight-month-long, $2.1 million renovation project.
Starting Monday, the iconic lights on the houses along the Schuylkill River will be temporarily turned off so crews can add some upgrades. The project, though, is purely for maintenance, and no aesthetic changes have been proposed.
“House by house, our contractor is going to remove all of the existing lights, remove the surroundings to the lights,” said Allison Schapker, chief projects officer for the Fairmount Park Conservancy, which is partnering with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation for the refurbishment.
Some lights have experienced outages due to ongoing maintenance issues, so the renovation is needed.
“And then the contractor will come back and replace the old lights with brand new lighting equipment that is protected from weather and animals and will be more permanent over the longer term for the houses.”
Those responsible for each boathouse will also make sure that structures, including roofing and railings, are in good condition.
“These houses date back to the 19th century, so they’re complicated but important pieces of architecture,” said Schapker. “We want to make sure that there’s every opportunity to look under the lights and make sure the houses are in good condition.”
Boathouse Row has been lit since 1979, with few major upgrades over the years. The first lights were for Christmastime, using traditional light bulbs. In 2005, the boathouses were converted to LED lights.
Those LEDs were refurbished in 2016, giving them the ability to dance and change colors with 16 million color combinations.
Regattas will continue as normal during the eight-month renovation. The lights will return in time for the holiday lighting ceremonies starting in November.