The bright LED lights that have illuminated Boathouse Row in Philadelphia since 2005 will remain dark for longer than anticipated, writes John Paul Titlow for Phillyvoice. 

In March, the Fairmount Park Conservancy announced a new $2.1 million project to upgrade and replace Boathouse Row’s existing LED lights.

The project was originally expected to be finished by year’s end; however, it will now stretch into the first quarter of 2024 due to supply chain issues.

Once complete, 6,400 new lights will be included and be able to change colors with 16 million possible color combinations that will “move” across the buildings in an animated fashion.

The new lighting system was designed by The Lighting Practice, a local firm that has upgraded the lights on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and installed lights on various other Philly buildings. 

Lights were first added to the exterior of the buildings along Boathouse Row in 1979 and have lit up ever since. The LED lights that went dark earlier this year were upgraded in 2016. 

Previous lights have been damaged by weather and wildlife, which has resulted in several outages and connectivity issues over the years. 

The increasing costs of maintenance and repair led officials to replace them entirely. 

Read more about the upgraded lights along Boathouse Row in Phillyvoice.

_____