Penn's Landing

Last updated
Penn's Landing
Neighborhood of Philadelphia
Penn's Landing Sign.jpg
Penn's Landing sign
Street map of Philadelphia and surrounding area.png
Red pog.svg
Penn's Landing
Coordinates: 39°56′44″N75°08′27″W / 39.94564°N 75.14072°W / 39.94564; -75.14072
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
State Pennsylvania
County Philadelphia
City Philadelphia
Area code(s) 215, 267, and 445
Tugboat off Penn's Landing, near the foot of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Penns landing area.jpg
Tugboat off Penn's Landing, near the foot of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
Penn's Landing Penn's Landing general view.jpg
Penn's Landing

Penn's Landing is a waterfront area of Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, situated along the Delaware River. Its name commemorates the landing of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in 1682. The actual landing site is farther south, in Chester. The city of Philadelphia purchased the right to use the name. Penn's Landing is bounded by Front Street to the west, the Delaware River to the east, Spring Garden Street to the north, and Washington Avenue to the south, and is primarily focused on the Christopher Columbus Boulevard (Delaware Avenue) corridor.

Contents

Development of the area is handled by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation. The corporation is a non-profit that was established in 2009 to manage the publicly owned land on the central waterfront on behalf of the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Features and uses

Penn's Landing serves as the site for several summertime events in the city. The main public space at Penn's Landing is The Great Plaza, a mostly concrete labyrinth located along the Delaware River at Christopher Columbus Boulevard and Chestnut Street. [1]

Several historic ships are moored at Penn's Landing. The barque Moshulu is a floating restaurant; the World War II-era submarine USS Becuna and the Spanish–American War-era cruiser USS Olympia (C-6) are part of the Independence Seaport Museum; and the barquentine Gazela and tugboat Jupiter are moored there by the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild. [1]

The RiverLink Ferry links Penn's Landing with the Camden Waterfront across the river in Camden, New Jersey. [2]

The Blue Cross RiverRink is a skating rink and outdoor event facility located at Penn's Landing. During the winter months it operates as an ice skating rink and hosts the Blue Cross RiverRink WinterFest, featuring winter-themed decorations, fire pits, and an outdoor beer garden. The first Winterfest was held in 2013, [3] concepted by Avram Hornik of FCM Hospitality, who also owns the neighboring outdoor waterfront restaurant, Morgan's Pier. During the summer months, the ice rink is converted into a roller skating rink under the name SummerFest. [4] [ non-primary source needed ]

Spruce Street Harbor Park

Spruce Street Harbor Park is one of the main attractions at Penn's Landing. The park has a boardwalk along the Delaware River with a waterfront atmosphere with chairs, tables and hammocks. The park is open only seasonally in the summer or warm months, and closed during the winter.

Monuments and memorials

There are many statues and monuments located in Penn's Landing:

Former trolley

A 1907 interurban car on the former trolley line, in 1990. PennsLanding.jpg
A 1907 interurban car on the former trolley line, in 1990.

From 1982 until 1995, a heritage trolley line (tramway) operated in Penn's Landing, on weekends and holidays from about April to October each year. Intended to attract tourists and help spur redevelopment of the area, [10] the trolley line was established along a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) section of disused ex-Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad freight railroad track (owned by Conrail), [11] from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Pier 51. [10] Grants from the city and Fidelity Bank funded the installation of overhead trolley wire and supporting poles, along with an electrical substation to provide power. [10] Operation began on September 5, 1982, and was run by volunteers from the Buckingham Valley Trolley Association. The service used historic trolley cars on loan from museums. When not in use, the cars were stored in a building on city-owned Pier 51. [10] The service ran for the last time on December 17, 1995, and the trolley wire and poles were removed by March 1996. [12]

The Delaware River Port Authority is in the process of re-opening the Franklin Square PATCO station. It is being fully re-built to be bought in-line with the rest of the system, including a new headhouse, and accessible concourses and platforms. Construction has not yet commenced, but it is expected to open before 2024. [13] [14] Previously, discussion included re-opening the station and building out a PATCO-operated connection to a re-built trolley route on Delaware Avenue/Christopher Columbus Boulevard. No public discussion has commenced regarding the trolley route and no date has been set. [15]

Old Carpenter's Wharf

Samuel Carpenter's Store, House & Wharf circa 1718. Samuel Carpenter's store, dwelling-house and wharf circa 1714.jpg
Samuel Carpenter's Store, House & Wharf circa 1718.

Samuel Carpenter (1649–1714) bought a lot extending from King Street (now Water Street) to Front Street and on to Second Street in 1683. This lot extends to Ton (now Tun) Alley. On the east side of this lot (Delaware front) he built a wharf, or "a fair key" as mentioned by William Penn, which was the first wharf built in Philadelphia. It became known as "Carpenter's Wharf" and could handle ships of 500 tons or more. [16] Over the years it was expanded, modernized and would now be under Interstate-95 where the highway passes Penn's Landing. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA</span> Public transportation authority

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It also manages projects that maintain, replace and expand its infrastructure, facilities and vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PATCO Speedline</span> Rapid transit system in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, United States

The PATCO Speedline, signed in Philadelphia as the Lindenwold Line and also known colloquially as the PATCO High Speed Line, is a rapid transit route operated by the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), which runs between Philadelphia, and Camden County, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware River Port Authority</span> Pennsylvania and New Jersey bi-state transport agency

The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the state governments of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The authority is principally charged to maintain and develop transportation links between the two states with four bridges and a mass transit rail line across the Delaware River. Though the DRPA has "port" in its name, it does not own or operate any ports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Line (NJ Transit)</span> Light rail line in Southern New Jersey, USA

The River Line is a hybrid rail line in southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is so named because its route between the two cities is parallel to the Delaware River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore Barry Bridge</span> Bridge in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

The Commodore Barry Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Delaware River from Chester, Pennsylvania to Bridgeport, in Logan Township, New Jersey. It is named after the American Revolutionary War hero and Philadelphia resident John Barry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 676</span> Highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Interstate 676 (I-676) is an Interstate Highway that serves as a major thoroughfare through Center City Philadelphia, where it is known as the Vine Street Expressway, and Camden, New Jersey, where it is known as the northern segment of the North–South Freeway, as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Highway in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Its western terminus is at I-76 in Philadelphia near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Fairmount Park. From there, it heads east and is then routed on surface streets near Franklin Square and Independence National Historical Park, home of the Liberty Bell, before crossing the Delaware River on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. On the New Jersey side of the bridge, the highway heads south to its southern terminus at I-76 in Gloucester City near the Walt Whitman Bridge. Between the western terminus and downtown Camden, I-676 is concurrent with U.S. Route 30 (US 30).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Philadelphia</span>

Transportation in Philadelphia involves the various modes of transport within the city and its required infrastructure. In addition to facilitating intracity travel, Philadelphia's transportation system connects Philadelphia to towns of its metropolitan area and surrounding areas within the Northeast megalopolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindenwold station</span> NJ Transit rail station

Lindenwold station is a train station in Lindenwold, New Jersey, United States, served by the NJ Transit Atlantic City Line regional rail service and the rapid transit PATCO Speedline. Lindenwold is the eastern terminus of PATCO; the system's headquarters and maintenance facility are located adjacent to the station in neighboring Voorhees.

Winterfest is the name of several winter festivals held in various locations in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Square station</span> Unused subway station in Philadelphia

Franklin Square station is an unused, underground rapid transit station on the PATCO Speedline, operated by the Delaware River Port Authority. It is located under Franklin Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Opened on June 7, 1936, the station was the first westbound and final eastbound station in Philadelphia, located just west of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge which carries trains over the Delaware River. The station has been opened for four separate intervals, each time eventually being closed for low ridership. As of 2021, the station was being refurbished and was expected to reopen in April 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">36th Street station (River Line)</span>

36th Street station is an NJ Transit station on the River Line light rail system, located off 36th Street and River Road in the Delaware Gardens neighborhood of Pennsauken Township, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. It is situated north of Pavonia Yard at the city line with Camden, and as such is the southernmost station of three along the River Line within Pennsauken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania</span> Section of Interstate Highway in Pennsylvania, United States

Interstate 95 (I-95) is a major north–south Interstate Highway that runs along the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida, north to the Canadian border in Houlton, Maine. In the state of Pennsylvania, it runs 44.25 miles (71.21 km) from the Delaware state line near Marcus Hook in Delaware County in the southeastern part of the state northeast to the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge at the New Jersey state line near Bristol in Bucks County, closely paralleling the New Jersey state line for its entire length through Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric City Trolley Museum</span> Transport museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania

The Electric City Trolley Museum is a transport museum located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, next to the Steamtown National Historic Site. The museum displays and operates restored trolleys and interurbans on former lines of the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad, which are now owned by the government of Lackawanna County and operated by the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Square (Philadelphia)</span> United States historic place

Franklin Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn when he laid out the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States in 1682. It is located in the Center City area, between North 6th and 7th Streets, and between Race Street and the Vine Street Expressway (I-676).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RiverLink Ferry</span> Passenger ferry that crosses the Delaware River

The RiverLink Ferry is a passenger ferry service in the United States. The ferry crosses the Delaware River, connecting the Camden Waterfront, in Camden, New Jersey, with Penn's Landing, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ferry operates daily from May through September, and on Fridays through Sundays in April and October. Primarily, the system provides tourists with a means to reach waterfront attractions. The service carries over 200,000 passengers per year and first turned a profit in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Franklin Bridge</span> Suspension bridge between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, originally named the Delaware River Bridge and known locally as the Ben Franklin Bridge, is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey. Owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority, it is one of four primary vehicular bridges between Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, along with the Betsy Ross, Walt Whitman, and Tacony-Palmyra bridges. It carries Interstate 676/U.S. Route 30, pedestrians/cyclists, and the PATCO Speedline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad</span>

The Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad owns a 2.66-mile (4.28 km) long railroad line running along the Delaware River waterfront in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created in 1889 to allow any Philadelphia railroad to access the waterfront. The railroad, which does not operate any trains itself, is currently maintained by Conrail Shared Assets Operations and used by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Boulevard (Philadelphia)</span>

Columbus Boulevard is a major north-south thoroughfare in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is famous for being the location of the Penn's Landing area and is generally parallel with Interstate 95 south of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The road extends south towards Pattison Avenue and is home to many big box retailers between Snyder Avenue and Oregon Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Korean War Memorial</span> Memorial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia was initially dedicated on June 22, 2002 and was formally rededicated on Memorial Day, May 28, 2007 after additional work was completed. Each name of the more than 600 servicemen who were killed in action or listed as missing in action during the Korean War from Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties are etched in the memorial. Veterans Day and Memorial Day services are held onsite annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Port Center</span> Skyscraper in Camden

One Port Center is an office building in Camden, New Jersey located in the Camden Waterfront. The building, opened in 1996, was designed by Michael Graves and is headquarters to the Delaware River Port Authority.

References

  1. 1 2 "Penn's Landing". Philadelphia - Official Visitor Site - visitphilly.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  2. ↑ http://www.riverlinkferry.org
  3. ↑ Drink Philly. "Winterfest Heats Up Blue Cross Riverrink This Holiday Season". DrinkPhilly.com. The Drink Nation. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest". Delaware River WaterFront. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Official site". Irish Memorial. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "National Scottish Immigrants' Memorial Unveiled". Clan Henderson. March 14, 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Official site". Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "Official site". Friends of the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Christopher Columbus Memoria" (PDF). Venturi, Scott, Brown. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Price, J.H. (February 1983). "Museum News". Modern Tramway and Light Rail Transit magazine, pp. 38–40. Ian Allan Publishing/Light Rail Transit Association (UK). ISSN 0144-1655.
  11. ↑ May, Jack (February 1994). "Philly's Trolley Festival a Hit". Passenger Train Journal , pp. 30–35. Pentrex. ISSN 0160-6913.
  12. ↑ "Museum News" section. Light Rail & Modern Tramway magazine, June 1996, p. 235. Ian Allan Publishing/Light Rail Transit Association. ISSN 0964-9255.
  13. ↑ "DRPA - Projects". www.drpa.org. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  14. ↑ "PATCO | Projects". www.ridepatco.org. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  15. ↑ "PATCO subway station to be reopened". whyy.org. WHYY-FM. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  16. 1 2 Holme, Thomas, "Portraiture of Philadelphia 1683-1684", which is an early city chart or map, shows the location of building lots of over 1,000 acres.

Events

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.