Weld Boathouse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Weld Boathouse
Weld Boathouse as seen from the Charles River
General information
Type	Boathouse
Location	Charles River Basin Historic District
Address	971 Memorial Drive
Town or city	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Country	United States
Coordinates	42°22′10″N 71°07′20″W / 42.3694°N 71.1221°W / 42.3694; -71.1221
Named for	George Walker Weld
Cost	$100,000
Owner	Harvard University
Design and construction
Architect	Peabody and Stearns

The Weld Boathouse is a special building owned by Harvard University. It sits right on the bank of the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This cool building was designed by a company called Peabody and Stearns. It's named after George Walker Weld, who gave the money to build it.

History of the Weld Boathouse

The Weld Boathouse you see today is actually the second one built in this spot. George Walker Weld had the first boathouse built here in 1889. The current, larger building was constructed between 1906 and 1907. It was designed by Peabody and Stearns using money that George Walker Weld left for this project. Building it cost about $100,000, which was a lot of money back then!

Who Uses the Boathouse Today?

For a long time, the Weld Boathouse was used by Harvard's men's freshman crew team. Today, it's the home for Harvard's varsity women's rowing teams. This includes both the heavyweight and lightweight crews. These teams are still called Radcliffe Women's Crew. This name reminds everyone of when Radcliffe College joined with Harvard University.

The boathouse is also used for Harvard's fun sculling program. Sculling is a type of rowing where each person uses two oars. Plus, the House Crews from Harvard College's twelve student houses use it. Even graduate students who love to row use the Weld Boathouse. The Harvard men's rowing teams use the Newell Boathouse, which is on the other side of the river in Boston. The Weld Boathouse is located right in the middle of the famous Head of the Charles Regatta racecourse.

Traditional Boat Building

For many years, rowing and sculling used beautiful boats made from wood. Following this tradition, the Weld Boathouse was once a place where people hand-carved a traditional baidarka. A baidarka is a type of boat used by Aleutian hunters.

Anderson Memorial Bridge Nearby

Right next to the boathouse, you'll find the Anderson Memorial Bridge. This bridge was built in 1913. It was funded by Weld's niece, Isabel Weld Perkins, and her husband, Larz Anderson. The bridge was designed with a high arch. This allowed all kinds of pleasure boats to pass underneath easily. Both the Weld Boathouse and the Anderson Memorial Bridge were paid for by the family of a rich businessman from the 1800s, William Fletcher Weld.

Images for kids

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  Front view with first-floor plan

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  Front view with second-floor plan

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  A view of the boathouse from the river.

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  Another view of the boathouse.

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  The boathouse on a sunny day.

See also

• Harvard Crimson
• List of Charles River boathouses