About

Crescent Boat was founded in 1867 by the merger of the Pickwick and Iona Barge Clubs.  Under a charter from the City of Philadelphia, the boathouse was completed in 1868, sharing the structure with the Pennsylvania Barge Club. The club grew quickly, so the house was enlarged in 1871 to a design by member Davis Supplee. Although later work covered much of that, the building standing on the Row today is largely architect Charles Balderston’s 1891 revision of it.