Portal:Philadelphia/Selected picture/February 2007

Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia, between 1860 and 1880.

Photo credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

The Fairmount Water Works 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.