Fairmount is a neighborhood in the North Philadelphia area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The name "Fairmount" itself derives from the prominent hill on which the Philadelphia Museum of Art now sits, and where William Penn originally intended to build his own manor house. Later, the name was applied to the street originally called Hickory Lane that runs from the foot of Fairmount hill through the heart of the neighborhood. Real estate agents and tourists sometimes refer it to as the "Art Museum Area," for its proximity and association with to the Art Museum. [more]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girard College is a private philanthropic boarding school on a 43 acre (170,000 m²) campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The school is for academically capable students, grades 1 through 12, and grants full scholarships to eligible students from families with limited financial resources, headed by a single parent or guardian.  [more]

 

 

 

Designed by John Haviland and opened in 1829, Eastern State is considered to be the world's first true penitentiary. Its revolutionary system of incarceration, dubbed the Pennsylvania System, originated and encouraged solitary confinement as a form of rehabilitation. The prison was closed and abandoned in 1971. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property with the intention of redeveloping it. In 1988, the Eastern State Penitentiary Task Force successfully petitioned Mayor Wilson Goode to halt redevelopment. In 1994, Eastern State opened to the public for historic tours. [more]

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit of Fairmount Park - Waterworks/Boathouse Row/Art Museum

 

Boathouse Row is an historic site located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of a row of boathouses housing racing shells, on the east bank of the Schuylkill River. Each of the ten boathouses has its own history, and all have addresses on Kelly Drive (named after famous Philadelphia oarsman John B. Kelly, Jr.). The boathouses are part of a group known as the Schuylkill Navy, which encompasses several other boathouses along the river.  [more]

 

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year and is now among the largest and most important art museums in the United States. The museum opened its doors to the public on May 10, 1877. Construction of the current building began in 1919 on the former reservoir land of the decommisioned Fairmount Water Works. [more]

 

The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first municipal waterworks in the United States. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1819 and 1822 it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is once again in the process of winning back visitors, having now opened an Interpretive Center to aid in understanding the waterworks' purpose and history.  [more]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, a few pics of/from Camden, NJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what an imperial city

Just fabulous!

Ahhh yes...you can just smell the density of Philly!

Good stuff!

 

It's been nearly 45 years since my first visit to Philadelphia, and the Art Museum and surrounding area were the first parts of the city that I saw. I still have good memories from those times.