Row Over to UPenn’s Updated Historic Boathouse

When University of Pennsylvania, the esteemed Ivy, tapped EwingCole to modernize and expand its existing varsity crew facility, located in an 1875 stone boathouse along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, a key driver was “juxtaposing the legacy of rowing with the evolution of the sport’s technology and culture,” lead designer Andrew Donaldson-Evans says. That’s evident in the grand hall of the Burk-Bergman Boathouse, where 150-year-old oak trusses have been restored and discreetly reinforced with steel. Suspended from the beams is an inspirational relic: the Pocock sculling shell that oarsman and later UPenn coach Joe Burk rowed to win and set a record at the 1938 Henley Royal Regatta. Below, original red-framed windows were moved inside, repurposed as a double-sided display case for trophies. They also offer a glimpse into the adjoining addition, the erg training room replete with state-of-the art ergometers (aka rowing machines). There, repointed stone and repaired scarlet shiplap, both once exterior-facing, pair with new white shiplap, a tensile steel ceiling structure, skylights, and a mural of Boathouse Row. It’s a pristine intervention that gives Penn rowing a home base worthy of its Division I status.