Philadelphia Girls’ Rowing Club
The Philadelphia Girls’ Rowing Club (PGRC) was founded on May 4, 1938, and holds the distinction of being the oldest active women’s rowing club in the United States.
Located at 14 Kelly Drive on historic Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, the PGRC clubhouse was built in 1861 and is the oldest permanent structure on Boathouse Row. Originally constructed as the home for the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society, the building was later rented to various rowing clubs while their original wooden boathouses were being rebuilt with more substantial materials—allowing men to continue rowing on the Schuylkill River. The PGRC collection preserves a unique and irreplaceable story of women’s rowing in America.
