A National Historic Engineering Landmark, this beautiful Greek Revival complex was built in 1815 and pumped water from the Schuylkill River for the city's consumption until 1909. It was one of Philadelphia's biggest tourist attractions in its day and is still well worth a visit for its excellent interpretative center, where you can learn about the pumping station's history, the area's natural history, and conservation of water resources and the environment.

See the website for various guided tours of the center and around the park.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Philadelphia Museum of Art

0.2 MILES

The premier cultural institution in Philadelphia, this epic art museum would stand out even without Rocky's famous antics on the east steps. Every visitor…

2. Boathouse Row

0.24 MILES

A major Philly landmark, this picturesque strip of rowing clubs is made up of mock Tudor and Victorian boathouses from the late 19th and early 20th…

3. Lemon Hill

0.24 MILES

This 1799 mansion is named after the lemon trees that once grew in the greenhouses that were here in the early 19th century. The Federal-style mansion is…

4. Perelman Building

0.27 MILES

This fine art-deco building, a branch of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, houses small galleries devoted to special exhibitions of costumes, textiles,…

5. Rocky

0.33 MILES

A major Philly selfie spot is this 1980 work by A Thomas Schomberg of the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa from the 1976 Oscar-winner Rocky. The statue was…

6. Washington Monument

0.37 MILES

Rudolf Siemering's 1897 monument to General George Washington is a marvelous ensemble. Proudly mounted astride his horse, the first US president sits atop…

7. Paine's Park

0.37 MILES

Philadelphia is a national leader for skateboarding culture and this riverside park, designed specifically for boarders, is the first of several that a…

8. Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial

0.54 MILES

This riverside garden section of Fairmount Park comprises three terraces decorated with 17 sculptures that were commissioned between 1933 and 1961. Among…