Boathouse Row to Get New Lights - PhillyBlog

brooke · #1 (**permalink**) 12-10-2004, 03:12 PM

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/10383000.htm

"Imagine no white lights shining from the very Philly icon, Boathouse Row.

Starting next month, that stark image will be a reality. But it's a good thing, say Peco Energy and boathouse representatives.

The weary lighting system - first installed for the Bicentennial in 1976 and last redesigned 15 years ago - will go dark Jan. 6 for about four months while it undergoes a computerized upgrade, said Peco spokeswoman Cathy Engel.

The brighter lights are expected to be switched on by May 13, the first day of the Dad Vail Regatta, the biggest collegiate rowing regatta in the nation.

The $300,000 upgrade will be "newer and more energy efficient," bringing the current Boathouse Row annual electric bill of $8,000 down to $1,000 per year.

Peco, which is pledging $150,000 for the new lights, will launch Jan. 6 the Peco Challenge - Relighting Boathouse Row, which aims to get the community involved in raising the rest of the funds needed.

That night the lights will be on until about 7:30 p.m., Engel said. Peco is looking to set up a public viewing space for the evening's events.

The energy company, the Fairmount Park Commission and the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, which represent the boathouses, are spearheading the project, which Peco says, will pay for itself in six years.

The park commission, which oversees the boathouse lights, estimates that it currently spends $50,000 a year to replace lightbulbs, said executive director Karen Borski.

The new LED system (Light Emitting Diode-based), designed and installed by the city firm PWI Engineering, is expected to have a 25-year lifespan, Engel said. At that rate, "within the first six years, the system will pay for itself in terms of bulb replacement savings," Engel said.

And the project comes with options such as, dare we say them, color lights and motion.

Traditionalists shouldn't worry too much, however, Engel said.

"The Fairmount Park Commission are the ones that will be in control of the lighting," Engel said. "They are very firm on the fact that Philadelphians love the white on that boathouse."

But don't be surprised to see the boathouse lit in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month OR catch it ablaze in red, white and blue for "Welcome America" celebrations.

It's all good, say those involved in the project.

"This is great, this is great," said Clete Graham, commodore of Schuylkill Navy. "The lights are in deplorable condition...people are always complaining and it looks shoddy."

A rower at one of the boathouses told Graham about the LED system and its benefits, Graham said. He took the idea to Borski, who then approached Peco Energy.

Done.

"This project is about bringing the community together," said Engel. "To get involved in something that Peco thinks is really exciting. Changing the landscape of our city together." "

UncleCranky · #2 (**permalink**) 12-10-2004, 03:26 PM

This is awesome.....especially for photographers.

My only concern is that LEDs are usually smalller and spaced closer then the current light config. Will it end up looking like cheesy rope lighting?

-UC

guzzijason · #3 (**permalink**) 12-13-2004, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleCranky

This is awesome.....especially for photographers.

My only concern is that LEDs are usually smalller and spaced closer then the current light config. Will it end up looking like cheesy rope lighting?

-UC

Hopefully, they've considered that. I think LED bulbs might give them a variety of options, though. Perhaps they'll use something more like this:

__Jason

UncleCranky · #4 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 09:42 AM

I was beginning to think that they wouldn't get the lights back on before the 4th. Did anyone get a chance to see them last night. I can't wait to get some pics:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/120304 43.htm:

Quote:

Boathouse Row shines once again

Quote:

The lights are back on to greet this weekend's visitors. The houses had been dark since January.

By Michael Currie Schaffer

Inquirer Staff Writer

Just in time for a holiday rush of visitors, one of Philadelphia's picture-postcard views was restored last night.

With the flick of an oversize ceremonial switch, the old gingerbread houses of Boathouse Row, dark since January, glowed once again.

The picture was at once familiar and different as organizers put on a 10-minute show exhibiting the capabilities of the new high-tech lighting system:

Lights changed color, from red to white to blue to green, and faded, blinked and rotated.

The five-month renovation replaced the boathouses' 8,000 expensive incandescent lights with a computerized system of 12,000 LED bulbs. Officials estimate that the new lights will cost $50,000 less to operate annually, largely because the old bulbs required frequent replacement. The LED bulbs can last up to 20 years.

When officials turned off the lights in early January, some people worried that the LED system would lack the twinkling quality of the old tungsten bulbs.

Last night, there were no complaints from a well-dressed crowd of 500 donors who sipped champagne from LED-illuminated goblets at the Fairmount Park Waterworks. The crowd cheered and gasped at the display. A large crowd also watched from across the Schuylkill on Martin Luther King Drive and on the Spring Garden Street Bridge.

Shannon Yott, an electrical engineer who designed the new system, said that because there were more and smaller bulbs she was able to emphasize more architectural features of the boathouses. She said colors could be changed with a few taps of a keyboard.

But the Fairmount Park Commission has pledged to stick with white lights except for special events. The first of those events will come Sunday when the boathouses will go red, white and blue for the Fourth of July.

Though they have become as much a part of Philadelphia's image as Independence Hall, the lights on the boathouses were only installed in 1976 as part of the city's bicentennial celebration. The light system has not been revamped since the mid-1980s.

Peco Energy Co. donated $150,000 to the project and coordinated a campaign to raise funds through private donations.

The Pew Charitable Trusts announced a $50,000 contribution last month, bringing the total from businesses, foundations and individuals to about $350,000. Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers donated at least $450,000 worth of labor to the project, said Frank Keel, a spokesman for the union.

Last night, a euphoric Karen Lloyd Borski, executive director of the Fairmount Park Commission, said the makeover would "change that gap-toothed smile that is Boathouse Row."

-UC

SurfDog · #5 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 09:47 AM

I forgot. We were at the City Hall Street Festival. Maybe we'll go tonight ...

UncleCranky · #6 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 10:00 AM

Here is NBC10's video feed of the event:
http://nbc10.feedroom.com/iframeset.jsp?ord=16354

-UC

regman · #7 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 12:30 PM

NICE! I like the different light effects.

UncleCranky · #8 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 12:32 PM

One news story I read this morning said that the one complaint was that the new LEDs were not as bright as the old incadescent lights.

I guess we will see.

-UC

SurfDog · #9 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleCranky

Here is NBC10's video feed of the event:
http://nbc10.feedroom.com/iframeset.jsp?ord=16354

I can never get anything that uses Windows Media player to show the video ...

IlovePhilly · #10 (**permalink**) 07-01-2005, 01:09 PM

I love the new lights. They look way better than how they did.

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