The boathouses on Boat House Row are all at least a century old, and some were built over 150 years ago. Lights outline each of the boathouses, giving them a nightly Christmas-like gingerbread house appearance and reflecting off the Schuylkill River. The boat houses also store boats for collegiate crew teams, and each year top athletes from colleges all across the country come to Boat House Row to compete in the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta. Boathouse Row was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.