This Place Is At The Heart Of Philadelphia

This Place Is At The Heart Of Philadelphia. . , For centuries, people like you have gathered here, allowing great ideas to flow from the heart of Philadelphia., This large umbrella works much like green tools spread across Philadelphia as part of the City's revolutionary Green City, Clean Waters program., Tulip-shaped umbrella gathers falling rain , Water flows into the tulip funnel and is collected., Reservoirs collect the water , Reservoir tanks hold and slowly release water into the planter., Plants soak it up , Instead of going into a sewer, this water sustains plants that add vibrant, living elements to the Courtyard., In our neighborhoods, tools like rain gardens and special stormwater trees provide the same pollution-fighting function when it rains., An 1800 engraving of Centre Square Water Works, built on this spot in 1799 and opened in 1804., Continuing the Vision , In the first three decades of the 19th century, this space, Centre Square, featured one of America's earliest public water works. Its creators used technology, design, and visionary thinking to provide people with clean water, an essential foundation for all modern cities., Your Part in the Story , The Centre Square Water Works solved the problem of getting clean water to residents. Today, we face a new problem: protecting our waterways from stormwater runoff pollution. Through Green City, Clean Waters, all Philadelphians are contributing to a solution that represents the best in innovation, and makes our city more beautiful.