Stories

1964: A Motley Crew's Olympic Quest John B. Kelly Jr. had a dream. For 60 years, only college crews had represented the United States at the Olympics in the eight-oared boat. Why couldn’t the Vesper Boat Club trounce those kids and be the ones to go to Tokyo for the 1964 Olympics?

Vesper Building History Parts of the Vesper Boat Club’s existing boathouse have survived through the many renovations and additions made since 1872 when the first two-bay masonry structure, shared with Malta, was built.

Vesper’s Racing History The Vesper Boat Club had its beginning on Feb. 22, 1865– a decade into the flourishing of rowing clubs on Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River– with the founding of the Washington Barge Club. Five years later, on Jan 1, 1870, it changed its name to Vesper Boat Club and quickly became one of the most celebrated rowing clubs in the United States and the world. It has always been central to the Philadelphia rowing story.