| Location: | Kelly Drive, Boat House #15, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 39.97°N -75.1897°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yearbuilt: | 1887 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Automated: | 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foundation: | Natural | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction: | Brick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shape: | Conical, with hexagonal balcony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marking: | Red tower with white balcony and lantern | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Lighthouse on Turtle Rock is a lighthouse built in 1887 to aid traffic on the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The lighthouse was constructed by Frank Thurwanger at a cost of $2,663 on an area of land just west of Boathouse Row. The lighthouse has a hexagonal lantern room with an octagonal walkway. Gas was first used to power the light, but in 1990, when the lighthouse was repainted and received a new wooden balustrade and newel posts, the beacon was electrified.
The lighthouse is operated by the Sedgeley Club, a social club located at #15 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.[2] In 1897, the club was founded as the Bicycle,Barge and Canoe Club, but quickly changed its name to the Sedgeley Club.[3] The Club initially occupied #14 Boathouse Row, until 1902, when the Fairmount Park Commission permitted the Club to build its own boathouse.[3] The building, designed by Arthur H. Brockie, was adapted to encompass the lighthouse that predates it.[3] Brockie designed a shingle, Colonial Revival house.[4] After completing this design, Brockie joined the University Barge Club in 1902.[5]
World War II caused the Club to stop operating as an athletic facility.[3] The Sedgeley Club still operates as a social club and is available to rent for private parties.[6]
In 2012, Friends of Historic Sedgeley, a 501(c)(3) corporation was established to maintain and preserve the Sedgeley Club building as a local and national historic landmark, and to promote the architectural and cultural significance of the boathouse and the lighthouse to the public through open houses and educational programs.[7]