Philadelphia Aquarium

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Philadelphia Aquarium

The Philadelphia Aquarium opened in 1911 on the east bank of the Schuylkill River, in the old Fairmount Water Works buildings as part of Fairmount Park. It was one of the first large aquariums in the United States and was meant to teach visitors about fish and their habitats, especially species from Pennsylvania.

In May 1911, the city approved the project. About $1,500 funded a temporary setup, with plans to turn the two powerhouses into the permanent aquarium. The opening happened on Thanksgiving Day, 1911, and featured 19 small tanks and lectures on marine life, including drawings by artist Grover Simcox.

At first, the forebay housed seals and sea lions, but the animals got sick and that area was filled in. The aquarium initially used river water for its tanks, but the water was too polluted, so they switched to city water. In 1912 the machinery was removed from the powerhouses and they became the aquarium’s exhibit halls—the larger one for freshwater fish and the smaller for seawater fish. The flat roofs remained and provided skylights to light the exhibits.

The aquarium attracted about 290,000 visitors in its first year and, by 1929, was one of the four largest aquariums in the world. After World War II, funding declined and the facility suffered from neglect. It closed in 1962, despite community efforts to save it. The space later became an indoor swimming pool (until 1973) and has since hosted banquets, tours, and a restaurant. The site’s former reservoir land eventually became part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.