PHILADELPHIA, June 4, 2002 -- Philadelphia's Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (FWWIC) officials on Tuesday unveiled the center's official logo.
A computer-rendered, black-and-white image of William Rush's "Allegory of the Water Works," the new logo will be used to identify FWWIC facilities, activities and communications.
"This is the perfect image for the Center, combining classic beauty with modern technology, just as the original Water Works did," said Ed Grusheski, who oversees development of the center. The FWWIC is on schedule to open in early spring, 2003.
Also called "The Schuylkill Freed," the sculpture depicts a reclining female figure bestowing the blessing of water in unlimited quantities. The sculpture first appeared over a Water Works' millhouse entryway in 1825, one of two Rush carvings at the Water Works representing the relationship between mankind and nature. Carved from Spanish cedar painted white, the original is now on loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Rush had extensive ties to the Water Works. Besides being a popular artist, he served on the City's Watering Committee, a group of prominent citizens that supervised the business affairs of the Water Works, until 1826. In 1822, he chaired the Building Committee for that organization.
His work as an artist and as a public-spirited manager helped make Philadelphia's Fairmount Water Works one of America's premier tourist attractions in the early 19th century. Even Charles Dickens, who disliked most things American, joined other Europeans in praise of the Water Work's aesthetics and engineering excellence.
"We are doing all we can to equal the success of the original Water Works by making the Interpretive Center a major eco-tourism destination," Grusheski said.
The Interpretive Center is housed within the Water Works, a complex of graceful neo-classical buildings nestled beside the Schuylkill River. When completed, the center will feature an Urban Watershed exhibit, a Water laboratory, a Water Wheel replica, a Turbine Technology exhibit, a classroom, an audio-visual theater, interpretive displays, river balconies, an esplanade and a watershed technology center. The center will be able to accommodate 100,000 visitors yearly.
"The FWWIC will focus the attention of the region and nation on our most precious natural resource - clean water. We believe the story we have to tell will again elevate the Fairmount Water Works as a major attraction for visitors from around the world," Grusheski added.
The new logo can be viewed at http://www.fairmountwaterworks.org under the "What's New" tab; other parts of the website are under construction.
