Crescent Boat Club

Crescent Boat Club is an American amateur rowing club located at #5 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1867[2] when Pickwick Barge Club[3] and Iona Barge Club merged.[4][5] Crescent Boat Club joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1868. In 1871, Crescent competed in and won the doubles event in the first regatta of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen, an event "which undoubtedly helped the sport greatly."[6]

Crescent Boat Club
Location#5 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Home waterSchuylkill River
Established1867
Navy admission1868
Former namesPickwick Barge Club and Iona Barge Club
Key people
  • Bill Shea (President)
  • Tom Bryan (Vice-President)
  • Dave Ragan (Director of Coaching & Rowing)
  • Troy Madden (Captain)
ColorsRed   and White  
AffiliationsRoman Catholic High School Archbishop Prendergast High School
Websitecrescentboatclub.org
Crescent Boat Club
Crescent Boat Club is located in Pennsylvania
Crescent Boat Club
Crescent Boat Club is located in the United States
Crescent Boat Club
LocationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39.96930°N 75.18655°W / 39.96930; -75.18655
Part ofBoat House Row (ID87000821[1])
Added to NRHPFebruary 27, 1987

Today, Crescent Boat Club continues to contribute to the rowing community and Schuylkill Navy. The club houses two rowing programs, Roman Catholic High School and Thomas Jefferson University[7] during the scholastic seasons and its own novice, junior, and senior sculling programs as well as a private membership and social group. The club is available for rent to host events, meetings, parties, celebrations and gatherings.[8]

The boathouse

Between 1869 and 1871, Crescent erected a boathouse with Pennsylvania Barge Club.[9] Today, the club's boathouse exhibits the work of renowned Philadelphia architect Charles Balderston.[10][11] From 1890 to 1891, Crescent made alterations and additions, designed by Balderston, to the 1871 building.[12] The boathouse was initially two stories of stone, but Balderston's design added the upper stories of half-timbered brick and stucco, which cap the building today.[9]

After World War II

As a result of World War II, the club suffered a drastic reduction in membership. In 1951, Crescent turned the operation of its boathouse over to LaSalle Rowing Association.[13] The club was known as LaSalle Rowing Association until 1960.[14] By 1974, the boathouse was vacant.[9] Under the leadership of John Wilkins, the house was later reoccupied by Crescent.[11] In addition to hosting LaSalle's team, Crescent also hosted the St. Joseph's University women's team and the men's team from Roman Catholic High School. Crescent has the smallest membership of the clubs in the Schuylkill Navy.[15]

  • Balderston's sketch of Crescent after renovations
    Balderston's sketch of Crescent after renovations
  • 1871 structure c. 1873-74 before 1890 additions.
    1871 structure c. 1873-74 before 1890 additions.
  • Crescent Boat Club,#5 Boathouse Row in 1972.
    Crescent Boat Club,
    #5 Boathouse Row in 1972.
  • Crescent Boat Club in 2010.
    Crescent Boat Club in 2010.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. Scharf, John Thomas; Westcott, Thompson (1884). "Public Squares, Parks, and Monuments". History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. Vol. 3. L. H. Everts & Company. p. 1871.
  3. Pickwick Barge Club was founded in 1865.Peverelly, Charles A. (1866). "Pickwick Barge Club". The Book of American Pastimes. New York: Author. p. 217.
  4. Keyser, K. C. (1872). "Fairmount Park". Fairmount Park: Sketches of its Scenery, Waters, and History (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen, and Haffelfinger. p. 21.
  5. "Crescent Boat Club, History". Crescent Boat Club. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  6. Crowther, Samuel; Arthur Brown Ruhl (1905). "The Association of Amateur Oarsmen". Rowing and Track Athletics. New York: MacMillan. pp. 165–66.
  7. "Women's rowing moves to Boathouse Row". Philadelphia University Rams Official Athletic Site. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  8. "Event Venue Rental | Crescent Boat Club". Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  9. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form". NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. November 27, 1983. p. 661. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  10. "Crescent Boat Club, Collection of 19th Century Architecture Images, Places in Time: Historical Documentation of Place in Greater Philadelphia". William A. Keely Collection, Bryn Mawr College. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  11. "Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta 2009 Program" (PDF). Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. 2009. p. 18. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  12. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form". NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. November 27, 1983. p. 674. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  13. "Boathouse Row". Living Places. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  14. Sweeney, Joe. "The History of the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association: Part 2 - Beginning of the Clubs". Schuylkill Navy. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  15. "Crescent Boat Club". Schuylkill Navy. Retrieved April 30, 2010.

Further reading
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