Camden Waterfront

The Camden Waterfront, also known as the Central Waterfront, is a tourist and entertainment district in Camden, New Jersey on the Delaware River south of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and north of Port of Camden.

The district is characterized by its visitor attractions and its location offering views of the river and the Philadelphia skyline.^[1] It is served by RiverLink Ferry which crosses the river to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Cooper St-Rutgers, Aquarium and Entertainment Center stations of the RiverLINE light rail system. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the neighborhood has a population of 962.^[2]

Attractions

The Adventure Aquarium was 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.^[3] The aquarium was one of the original centerpieces in Camden's plans for revitalizing their city.^[4]

The Susquehanna Bank Center (formerly known as the 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.^[5]

The USS New Jersey (BB-62)

Campbell's Field, opened in 2001, is home to the Camden Riversharks^[6] of the independent Atlantic League; and the Rutgers–Camden baseball team.

The USS New Jersey (BB-62) was a U.S. Navy 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, that opened in 2001 along the waterfront. The New Jersey saw action during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and provided support off Lebanon in early 1983.^[7]

Wiggins Park Marina and One Port Center

Other attractions at the Waterfront are the Wiggins Park Riverstage and Marina, One Port Center, Nipper Building (aka Victor Lofts), the Walt Whitman House,^[8] the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, the Rutgers–Camden Center For The Arts and the Camden Children's Garden.^[9]

Looking south to the waterfront with Campbell's Field and Nipper Building on left and site of planned 76ers facilities and the Liberty Property Trust project

In May 2013, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority announced that it would seek developers for the site of the demolish Riverfront State Prison just north of the Central Waterfront and the Ben Franklin Bridge in Cooper Point.^[10][11] In September 2013 Waterfront Renaissance Associates announced that it proposed to a develop a 2.3-million-square-foot commercial complex on 16 acres (6.5 ha) 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.^[12][13][14]

In October 2013, Herschend Family Entertainment announced they would add an attraction adjacent to the Adventure Aquarium, a 300 ft (91 m), 25-story observation tower ride with a moored balloon and gondola that would carry passengers above the site offering views of city, the Delaware River and the Philadelphia skyline. Its planned opening is in Spring 2015.^[15][16]

In in September 2016 the Philadelphia 76ers opened their practice facility and future home offices to the Waterfront.^{[17][18][19][20][21]} 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.^[22][23][24]

Development incentives

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.^[25] In November 2014, the state offered tax incentives to Lockheed Martin to relocate 250 jobs to labs at the L-3 Building and Waterfront Technology Center.^[26][27] Proposals to build two towers 590 ft (180 m)^[28] and 450 ft (140 m)^[29] were unveiled in September 2015.^[30][31][32]

See also

• Barnegat (lightship)
• Cooper Grant Historic District
• List of tallest buildings in Camden

References

City of Camden
Neighborhoods	Bergen Square Beideman Centerville Central Business District Central Waterfront Cooper Grant Cooper Point Cramer Hill Dudley Fairview Gateway Lanning Square Liberty Park Marlton Morgan Village North Camden Parkside Pyne Point Rosedale Stockton Waterfront South Whitman Park
Education	Public high schools: Brimm Medical Arts High School Camden High School Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy MetEast High School Woodrow Wilson High School Private education: Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill Higher education: Camden County College Coriell Institute for Medical Research Rowan University Rutgers University Rutgers School of Law–Camden University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Economy	Campbell Soup Company Cooper University Hospital Coriell Institute for Medical Research Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania & New Jersey L-3 Communications Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center Port of Camden Susquehanna Bank
Points of interest	Camden Waterfront Adventure Aquarium Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial Camden Children's Garden Camden City Hall Campbell's Field Cooper Grant Historic District Cooper Street Historic District National Register of Historic Places Susquehanna Bank Center Tallest buildings Walt Whitman House
Public transportation	PATCO Speedline River Line RiverLink Ferry NJT bus routes 400-449 NJT bus routes 450-499 Walter Rand Transportation Center City Hall Ferry Avenue Glassboro–Camden Line (future) Camden-Philadelphia BRT (future)
Roads and bridges	Benjamin Franklin Bridge Admiral Wilson Boulevard (U.S. Route 30) Broadway (CR 551) Federal Street (CR 537) Haddon Avenue (CR 561) Market Street (CR 537 spur) Mount Ephraim Avenue (NJ Route 168) Interstate 76 Interstate 676

Coordinates: 39°56′08″N 75°07′37″W / 39.935593°N 75.126809°W / 39.935593; -75.126809