Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Strawberry Mansion Reservoir

Reunion with the reservoir

Since its construction in the 19th Century, the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir was a much beloved and well-used asset by its adjacent community. That connection was severed in 1972, when a fence was erected around the site effectively cutting off community access. Today, most people in the neighborhood have never laid eyes on the 37-acre body of water. Over those decades, the stories of elders’ connection to the water persist. Moreover, as a defunct reservoir for almost 50 years, the site has become a critical habitat for migrating birds and serves as a prime location for observing ecological processes. In 2018, the East Park Leadership and Conservation Center, better known as the Discovery Center (a joint venture between Audubon Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Outward Bound School), opened up facilities on the reservoir’s banks, re-igniting the possibilities of access to the reservoir.

In 2021, The Discovery Center commissioned Studio Zewde to develop a landscape design that re-connects the site to its community and neighboring assets, enhances the ecological functions of the site, and meets the needs of the Audubon Center and Outward Bound programs that call the site home. Studio Zewde and its team are currently working with the range of stakeholders to develop the landscape vision.