When Rocky ascended the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1976, he assured the iconic structure’s permanent place in pop culture lure.  Had the Italian Stallion attempted the feat 80 years prior, he might have drowned . . . and sullied our water supply to boot.  Where the majestic Greek-revivalist building now stands at 26th & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, overlooking Center City and providing one of our most postcard-worthy vistas, the Fairmount Reservoir once functioned as the city’s primary water supply.

Back in the day

The image here, provided by Workshop of the World, depicts the Fairmount Water Works complex on the east bank of the Schuylkill River in the mid-19th century.  With construction beginning in 1812, the Water Works would come to be seen as an engineering marvel.  Visitors from around the world came to behold its pumps, its engine-houses…