PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
The Race Street Pier was one of the first public spaces to be realized as part of the ambitious Civic Vision for Philadelphia’s Central Delaware Riverfront. For the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, Field Operations’ design creates a strong physical experience that reconnects the City to the River, activates the water’s edge and establishes a distinctive new public park for the people of Philadelphia. The physical design of the pier is split into two levels—a sky promenade on the upper level and a lower level for passive recreation. A ramp rises along the north face of the pier below the Ben Franklin Bridge, dramatizing the sense of arriving into the space of the river with iconic views back to the Philadelphia skyline. The lower level supports a multi-purpose lawn, rich and layered planting beds and generous seating. It is enormously popular, attracting a diverse range of people for events both large and small.
Photography by Matt Stanley, Edward Savaria Jr, Christian Carollo, and Barrett Doherty.