The Camden Waterfront, also known as the Central Waterfront, is a commercial and entertainment district in
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
, on the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
south of the
Ben Franklin Bridge
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 ...
and north of
Port of Camden
The Port of Camden is situated on east bank of the Delaware River in Camden and Gloucester City in southern New Jersey. It is one of several ports in the Delaware Valley metro area port complex and is located near the mouth of Newtown Creek op ...
.
The district is characterized by its visitor attractions and its location offering views of the river and the
Philadelphia skyline. It is served by
RiverLink Ferry
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 f ...
which crosses the river to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
and the
Cooper St-Rutgers,
Aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
, and
Entertainment Center
An entertainment center (or centre), also known as an entertainment complex, is a piece of furniture designed to house consumer electronic appliances and components, such as televisions.
Evolution of home TV and stereo
A stereo console (or "con ...
stations of the
River Line light rail system. According to the
2000 U.S. census
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
, the neighborhood has a population of 962.
Attractions
The
Adventure Aquarium
The Adventure Aquarium, formerly the Thomas H. Kean New Jersey State Aquarium, is a for-profit educational entertainment attraction operated in Camden, New Jersey on the Delaware River Camden Waterfront by Herschend Family Entertainment. Origin ...
originally opened in 1992 as the New Jersey State Aquarium at Camden. In 2005, after extensive renovation, the aquarium was reopened under the name Adventure Aquarium. The aquarium was one of the original centerpieces in Camden's plans for revitalizing their city.
The
Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, formerly known as the BB&T Pavilion, Susquehanna Bank Center, and Tweeter Center, is a 25,000-seat open-air concert amphitheater that was opened in 1995 and renamed after a 2008 deal in which the bank would pay $10 million over 15 years for naming rights.
![USS New Jersey Night](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/USS_New_Jersey_Night.jpg)
The was a
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
battleship that was intermittently active between the years 1943 and 1991. After its retirement, the ship was turned into the
Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial
The Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial is located at 62 Battleship Place, Camden, New Jersey. This museum ship preserves and displays , the most decorated battleship to have served in the U.S. Navy and one of the largest ever built.
His ...
, that opened in 2001 along the waterfront. The ''New Jersey'' saw action during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, and provided support off Lebanon in early 1983.
![Wiggins Park Marina 1 Port Ctr (Camden)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Wiggins_Park_Marina_1_Port_Ctr_%28Camden%29.JPG)
Other attractions at the Waterfront are the
Ulysses Wiggins Park Riverstage and Marina,
One Port Center
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.
The building is situated on a L ...
,
Nipper Building
The Nipper Building is a colloquial name for ''The Victor'' condominiums, and formerly, Building 17, RCA Victor Company, Camden Plant. The structure is a historical building located in Cooper Grant neighborhood of Camden, Camden County, New Jer ...
(aka Victor Lofts), the
Walt Whitman House, the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, the Rutgers–Camden Center For The Arts and the
Camden Children's Garden.
![An overhead view of the Camden waterfront](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/An_overhead_view_of_the_Camden_waterfront..jpg)
In May 2013, the
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) is an independent government entity in the U.S. state of New Jersey dedicated to broadening and expanding the state's economic base.
The EDA creates public-private partnerships to provide access ...
announced that it would seek developers for the site of the demolished
Riverfront State Prison
Riverfront State Prison (RSP) is a former prison in Camden, New Jersey that was operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections from August 12, 1985, to 2009. It was located in the neighborhood of Cooper Point at the intersection of Delaware ...
just north of the Central Waterfront and the Ben Franklin Bridge in
Cooper Point. In September 2013 Waterfront Renaissance Associates announced that it proposed to a develop a 2.3-million-square-foot commercial complex on called the Riverfront World Trade Center. The project would be built in four phases, the first of which would be a promenade along the Delaware River. The plan calls for two 22-story and two 18-story buildings. However, this proposal never came to pass.
In September 2016 the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
opened the
Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex
The Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex is a 125,000-square-foot athletic facility and office building in Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the ...
on the Waterfront. The new headquarters and the state-of-the-art, 120,000-square-foot practice center was made possible in part by $82 million in tax credits approved by the
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) is an independent government entity in the U.S. state of New Jersey dedicated to broadening and expanding the state's economic base.
The EDA creates public-private partnerships to provide access ...
.
Development incentives
In October 2013,
Herschend Family Entertainment
Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) is a privately owned themed-entertainment company that operates several theme parks and tourist attractions within the United States, and as of 2021, one aquarium in Vancouver, Canada.
Founded by Jack and P ...
announced they would add an attraction adjacent to the Adventure Aquarium, a , 25-story
observation tower ride with a
moored balloon
A tethered, moored or captive balloon is a balloon that is restrained by one or more tethers attached to the ground and so it cannot float freely. The base of the tether is wound around the drum of a winch, which may be fixed or mounted on a vehic ...
and
gondola
The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...
that would carry passengers above the site offering views of city, the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
and the
Philadelphia skyline. It was planned to open in Spring 2015.
The state of New Jersey has offered numerous tax incentives to corporations to locate in Camden, many along the Waterfront and Port of Camden districts. In November 2014, the state offered tax incentives to
Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
to relocate 250 jobs to labs at the L-3 Building and Waterfront Technology Center. Proposals to build two towers and were unveiled in September 2015. Other elements of the project began construction in December 2016.
American Water Works
American Water is an American public utility company that, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving a po ...
opened its new headquarters. A new Hilton Garden Hotel broke ground in May 2019.
See also
*
Barnegat (lightship)
The United States lightship ''Barnegat'' (LV-79/WAL-506), is located in Camden, Camden County, New Jersey, United States. The lightship was built in 1904 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 29 November 1979.
History
...
*
Cooper Grant Historic District
*
List of tallest buildings in Camden
Camden, New Jersey is located on the Delaware River in the Delaware Valley/Philadelphia metropolitan area in the US. At , a tower of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge is the tallest structure in the city. Camden City Hall, at , has been the tall ...
References
{{coord, 39.935593, -75.126809, type:adm3rd_globe:earth_region:US-NJ, display=title
Neighborhoods in Camden, New Jersey
Tourist attractions in Camden, New Jersey
Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in the United States