National Register of Historic Places
Upper Roxborough Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
The record
- Listed
- November 12, 2004
- Type
- Historic district
- Address
- Upper: roughly bounded by Cathedral, Harner, Lare, Summitt, Eva;Lower: roughly bounded by Eva, Dearnley and Shawmont, Philadelphia
- County
- Philadelphia
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Period of significance
- 1850 to 1949
- Contributing resources
- 7 buildings, 13 structures, 2 sites
- Coordinates
- 40.05485, -75.24010
- Reference number
- 04001226
The story
Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com
The Upper Roxborough Historic District (Boundary Increase) is a historic district in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, listed in the National Register in 2004. Its reservoirs were built in 1868-1869 and 1891-1892, with treatment plants added in 1901-1902.
Why it's listed
The district was listed under criteria A and C, with local-level significance in engineering and politics/government. Its period of significance is about 1868 to 1940, reflecting the 1868 construction start and the spillway tower's rebuilding around 1940.
Physical character
The brick pumping station, in the Colonial Revival style, has a concrete foundation, terracotta walls, and terra cotta belt courses. It has a hipped roof, an iron door beneath a brickwork segmental archway, and granite steps over slate slabs. Around 1962 the arched windows were bricked in and water tanks were added; storage sheds followed around 1995, and radio towers around 1990s. At the time of listing, part of the site was a sports facility, and the rest was vacant.
Historical context
The Lower Reservoir's construction began in 1868, when the Pennsylvania Assembly gave the city authority over the water supply. In 1890 the City filed a petition for the Upper Reservoir land and approved a $200,000 bond, and water treatment plants were added to both reservoirs in 1901. The Shawmont School opened near the Lower Reservoir in 1870. The Water Department took the reservoirs out of use in 1962, and baseball fields were developed nearby around 1980.