{{About|a closed aquarium|Greater Philadelphia's current aquarium in Camden, NJ|Adventure Aquarium}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox zoo |zoo_name = Philadelphia Aquarium |logo = |logo_caption = |image = Fairmount park aquarium WPA poster.jpg |image_caption = WPA poster, 1937 |location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |date_opened = November 23, 1911<ref name="phillyhistory"/> |date_closed = 1962<ref name="water_works"/> |coordinates = {{Coord|39.9663408|-75.1835954|type:landmark_scale:2500|display=it}} |area = |num_species = |num_animals = |largest_tank_vol = |total_tank_vol = |annual_visitors = |members = |exhibits = |website = | module = }}
The '''Philadelphia Aquarium''' was one of the first aquariums in the United States. It was located on the east bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia’s decommissioned Fairmount Water Works buildings from 1911 to 1962, as part of Fairmount Park.
==History== By 1909, Philadelphia’s Fairmount Water Works had been replaced by a series of filtration plants in other parts of the city. The site’s former reservoir land was later used for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.<ref name="water_works"/>
On May 16, 1911, the mayor of Philadelphia signed an ordinance specifying that an aquarium be created at the old Fairmount Water Works site. About $1,500 was provided initially to create a temporary aquarium in a building that would eventually become a lecture hall, with plans to use the two powerhouses for the permanent aquarium.<ref name="meehan"/> The aquarium was intended to help educate visitors about the habitat, breeding, and activities of fish, especially those native to Pennsylvania. This was a novel concept at the time, originating in exhibits of fisheries at the 1893 (Chicago) and 1904 (St. Louis) World’s Fairs.<ref name="phillyh2o"/>
===Opening===
The aquarium opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1911, with nineteen small tanks and a series of regular lectures on marine life (many featuring sketches by renowned artist "Biggie" Grover Simcox). Initially, the forebay housed seals and sea lions. When the animals became ill, though, the area was filled in.<ref name="phillyh2o"/> The waterworks' turbine and pumps were initially used to get water from the Schuylkill River for the exhibits, but this untreated water proved to be too polluted for the fish, and the aquarium switched to using city water.<ref name="phillyhistory"/>
All of the machinery was removed from the two powerhouses in 1912, and they were eventually refitted as the exhibit halls for the aquarium, the larger ({{Convert|200|by|50|ft|adj=on}}) being used for freshwater fish and the smaller ({{Convert|100|by|50|ft|adj=on}}) for seawater fish.<ref name="phillyh2o"/> The buildings required very little structural change, and the flat roofs, previously used as plazas, provided space for skylights to illuminate the exhibits.<ref name="meehan"/> The aquarium hosted 290,000 visitors in its first year, and by 1929 was one of the four largest aquariums in the world.<ref name="phillyhistory"/>
===Closure=== In the period after World War II, the aquarium suffered from years of inadequate funding, political maneuvering and the resulting neglect. By 1962, the aquarium was forced to close, despite several grass roots attempts to save it. The facility was later used as an indoor swimming pool (closed in 1973). More recent uses have included banquets, guided tours, and a restaurant.
==See also== {{Portal|Philadelphia|Pennsylvania}} *Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea 1962–1969 *Adventure Aquarium 1992–Present *Fairmount Park
==References== {{Reflist |refs=
<ref name="meehan"> {{cite journal |last1=Meehan |first1=W.E. |year=1914 |title=Building an Aquarium for Philadelphia |journal=Transactions of the American Fisheries Society |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=179–181 |doi=10.1577/1548-8659(1913)43[179:BAAFP]2.0.CO;2 |accessdate=15 September 2011 |url=http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/american-fisheries-society/transactions-of-the-american-fisheries-society-goo/page-14-transactions-of-the-american-fisheries-society-goo.shtml |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
<ref name="water_works"> {{Cite web |url=http://www.nj.gov/drbc/edweb/special/fairmount/index.html |title=The Water Works: A Place "Wondrous to Behold" |work=state.nj.us |publisher=Delaware River Basin Commission |accessdate=2 March 2012 }}</ref>
<ref name="phillyhistory"> {{Cite web |url=http://www.phillyhistory.org/blog/index.php/2010/06/the-philadelphia-aquarium-at-the-fairmount-water-works/ |title=The Philadelphia Aquarium at the Fairmount Water Works |first=Hillary |last=Kativa |work=phillyhistory.org |publisher=City of Philadelphia |date=3 June 2010 |accessdate=25 September 2011 }}</ref>
<ref name="phillyh2o"> {{Cite web |url=http://www.phillyh2o.org/backpages/PMA_TEXT.htm |title=The Fairmount Water Works |first=Jane Mork |last=Gibson |work=phillyh2o.org |publisher=Adam Levine |accessdate=24 September 2011 }}</ref>
}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Philadelphia Aquarium}}
{{Zoos of Pennsylvania}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Philadelphia Category:Landmarks in Philadelphia Category:Aquaria in Pennsylvania Category:1911 establishments in Pennsylvania Category:1962 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Category:Defunct aquaria Category:East Fairmount Park Category:Educational organizations established in 1911 Category:Zoos established in the 1910s Category:Zoos disestablished in the 20th century Category:Educational organizations disestablished in 1962