Graffiti Pier Park Project

DRWC's Statement about the partial collapse of Grafitti Pier.

Check out Voices of Graffiti Pier! Then, please take our survey to let us know how we can continue to make the Pier's rich past part of its vibrant future.

Port Richmond and Olde Richmond waterfronts mark the northernmost boundaries of DRWC’s planning area and have long been underserved regarding waterfront access. While this space was historically a hub for shipping and commerce, the site has been vacant since the 1990s. With little industrial activity happening on the site, Pier 18 at the southern edge of the site has become a popular outdoor street art gallery and open space for artists, and it has gained the name “Graffiti Pier."

What part of Graffiti Pier’s past and present should be a part of its future?

The Master Plan for the Central Delaware outlined initial ideas for a new and unique waterfront park in this area. After years of advocacy by the DRWC, community advocates, and near neighbors, the opportunity to enhance Graffiti Pier as a waterfront park that preserves the cultural values of the space presented itself in early 2019. DRWC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Conrail to transfer 6 acres of their waterfront property, including Graffiti Pier, to DRWC to create a publicly accessible park.

In the late summer of 2019, DRWC kicked off a planning and design study for Graffiti Pier and selected a multi-disciplinary team of artists, designers, and planners led by Studio Zewde (of Harlem, NY) to conduct this study, investigate the physical conditions of the pier, and provide recommendations about its future use as a public space. The team has begun to lead a comprehensive community engagement process that includes multiple stakeholder groups – artists, near neighbors, and the general public – that have used and visited the space. The project aims to retain the creative spirit and cultural value of Graffiti Pier while enhancing waterfront access for the Olde Richmond and Port Richmond neighborhoods.

The first public event for the Graffiti Pier project was held on November 1, 2019, at Cherry Street Pier. The event was an open house and roundtable conversation based on two simple questions: “What is the best thing that could happen at Graffiti Pier?” and “What is the worst thing that could happen at Graffiti Pier?” Neighbors, artists, planners, community members, and other stakeholders contributed ideas and comments. Engagement continued through 2020, and community feedback was incorporated into the conceptual plan released in 2020.

The study advanced the concepts for a new and unique waterfront park that preserves and expands the cultural value of Graffiti Pier. The resulting conceptual plan was guided by four design goals that emerged from the robust engagement process: 1) ensure the continuation and expansion of artistic production; 2) keep large portions of the site vegetated and passive 3) make it safe and accessible without looking safe and accessible; and 4) keep the grit. 

DRWC is still negotiating with Conrail to acquire the property of the Graffiti Pier. The site will be surveyed once the property is acquired, and the first design phase will commence. The first phase of work will prioritize making the Graffiti Pier safe for public access and compliant with city, state, and federal codes for public space. Phase 1 will include repairing the structural damage to the trestles that pose the highest safety risks, fencing off areas of high risk that cannot be repaired in the initial phase, and constructing some of the guardrails proposed around the edges of the pier. Phase 1 will include design concepts with community input for trail designs, art walls, and site furniture locations. Please continue to check here or follow us on social media to stay updated. For questions about the project, contact graffittipier@drwc.org.