The Sparks Shot Tower on the 100 block of Carpenter Street is easily the most recognizable feature of the Queen Village skyline, rising up above all of the buildings in the neighborhood for over two-hundred years. About a century ago, the land surrounding the shot tower was converted into a playground, with a wading pool that was ultimately turned into a spray pool some time later. After many decades, the spray pool area grew tired, and was in need of some TLC. But thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Shot Tower Park and others, that is just what has taken place.

Shot Tower

According to the QVNA website, the process of rehabilitating the Shot Tower Spray Pool began in 2009 with a grant from Greenplan Philadelphia. With design work from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and contributions from the Department of Parks and Recreation, a plan took shape to reimagine the spray park and the green space surrounding it. And now, years of planning and work are about to come to fruition. On Saturday, at 1pm, a grand opening celebration will take place as the spray pool reopens to the public. We stopped by the other day, and it looks pretty nice.

From the baseball field

Closer look

While we’re guessing the kids in the neighborhood wish that the park would have opened a week ago, it will still get plenty of use for the rest of the summer. Kudos to QVNA, PHS, Parks and Rec, Friends of Shot Tower Park, and everyone else involved in this project. Makes us wonder, is there a time of day when adults are allowed to take advantage and cool off a little?