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ItвЂ™s the reason that Dilworth Park, Franklin Square, and parts of Cobbs Creek all have private managers today. Because the city was unable - or, more accurate, unwilling - to fund its parks properly, it began outsourcing choice locations to nonprofit operators. WhatвЂ™s going on at the Water Works represents the most extreme example of the Faustian bargain Philadelphia made two decades ago when it began actively privatizing its public spaces. Although the public is permitted to wander through the pavilions and visit the Water DepartmentвЂ™s museum when there are no private events, the presence of these structures canвЂ™t help but make visitors question whether they still have a right to use the complex. On the open deck at the north end, where children used to fly kites, a plastic-glass party room looms over the smaller pavilions. It stretches the length of the site, obscuring views of the Water WorksвЂ™ historic architecture. The beloved ensemble has been clunked up with an enormous greenhouse, a long, metal-roofed arcade, and a variety of kitchen facilities. Installed during a pandemic, when city residents were desperately seeking outdoor space, these structures have entirely changed the character of the Water Works. With the blessing of the Department of Parks & Recreation, a private banquet company was allowed last fall to add extra structures throughout the complex. But those who visit today may feel hesitant about approaching the famous row of cream-white pavilions. Since its completion in 1815, generations of Philadelphians have gone to the Water Works to stroll, picnic, fish, or just watch the rushing waters cascade over the Schuylkill dam. In Philadelphia, we treat it as just another asset to be monetized. Most cities would revere such a lovely and historic site, keeping it well-maintained and accessible. Today, no view of Philadelphia is more iconic. Designed to do double duty as a park, the Water Works made its shady walking paths free and open to the public. But the charming group of miniature Greek temples is also the place where our ideas about democratic access to green space coalesced.

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The Water Works is best known as an engineering marvel that taught American cities how to distribute clean drinking water on a big scale.

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When PBS put together a series a few years ago called Ten Parks That Changed America, the Fairmount Water Works clocked in at number two.

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