Race Street Pier and Connector

Philadelphia, USA

Photo © Barrett Doherty

Photo © Edward and Suzanne Savaria

Photo © Christian Carollo

Photo © Matt Stanley

Photo © Barrett Doherty

Landscape Architects: james corner field operations

Location: Race Street and N Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, USA
Year: 2011

The Race Street Pier is one of the first public spaces to be realized as part of the ambitious Civic Vision for the Central Delaware Riverfront. As such, it was designed to create a strong physical experience that reconnects the City to the River, activates the water’s edge and establishes the pier as a distinctive new public park for the people of Philadelphia. The physical design of the pier is split into two levels – an upper level with a grand sky promenade and a lower level for water-related activities and passive recreation. A dramatic ramp rises along the north face of the pier below the Ben Franklin bridge, dramatizing the sense of arriving in the space of the river. A lower terrace supports a lawn with generous seating and social spaces.