A 10-20 foot section of Graffiti Pier’s easterly point, pictured here in 2017, collapsed into the Delaware River on the morning of July 31. | Photo: Michael Bixler
It was nothing short of a miracle that no one was found in the watery rubble of Graffiti Pier on in the early morning hours of July 31 after a 15-foot chunk of the pier collapsed and plummeted into the Delaware River. Not so miraculous now, however, may be the future of the beloved industrial ruin as we know it.
The future of colorful trestle walls cemented into Pier 18, a former coal-loading pier in Port Richmond once used by the Reading Company, has been hanging in the balance for decades. The partial collapse last Wednesday will either be another nudge towards its sale or could see to its destruction.
Since 2018, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) has had plans to purchase the land from Conrail, the current owners of the property, to formally make it a public green space. Encapsulating much more than just Graffiti Pier, the riverfront property spans over 150 acres—from Cumberland Street to Allegheny Avenue—and includes seven other abandoned piers.
DRWC’s plans include making trails wider and the area ADA-accessible, cultivating marshes, building new concrete walls to prevent erosion, erecting fences along the edges of the pier, and planting native plants and trees on the pier and in the surrounding area. However, due to the collapse, the nonprofit organization’s expansive proposal may be affected.
“It is too soon for us to determine how this will impact DRWC’s acquisition and future development of the pier,” said Joe Forkin, president of DRWC, in a public statement. “But it is our strong hope that we can continue working with Conrail, who are the current owners of the property, to finalize the long anticipated purchase agreement that will ultimately allow DRWC to provide meaningful public space for the community in and around the Graffiti Pier property.”
Men take a tour of coal-loading Pier 18 in 1948. | Image from Reading Company Annual Report, 1948
Conrail has owned the former coal-loading pier for nearly half a century and, while it hasn’t been in use since 1993, the company still has legal control over the land.
“Making [Graffiti Pier] a public space and allowing public access, or even leaving it alone is not something Conrail is interested in,” said Karen Thompson, DRWC’s director of planning, policy, and engagement, in April. “They’re a railroad company, so let us formalize it as a public space and protect that resource, because again, that’s not what Conrail does.”
In 2021, Conrail was found to be in violation for failing to submit a required pier report, a standard structural assessment inspection of the piers on the property. According to the violation notice issued by the City, piers in Philadelphia are required to be inspected every three years. The property has had 10 violations since 2010. Conrail officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Beyond potentially losing an important piece of Pennsylvania railroad history, the possible loss of Graffiti Pier as a street art haven is daunting. Unlike any other place in Philadelphia, the pier harbors endless space for artistic expression. It also serves as a shaded escape from the city grid, especially in sweltering summer months where temperatures linger near 100 degrees.
“First and foremost, shame on Conrail for holding future parks and public space in Philly for ransom, as they have here with Graffiti Pier as well as large parts of the future Rail Park,” said Conrad Benner, local public art advocate and founder of the art blog Streets Dept. “Having left these spaces abandoned for decades, Conrail’s delay and inaction seems to suggest that they do not care about the people of Philadelphia, particularly the communities surrounding their neglected properties. It’s time they finally end the neglect and sell these properties to local organizations who can seed what’s already been growing there.”
A family of five sets off to explore Graffiti Pier on a Saturday morning in 2017 despite gusty winds and 40 degree temperatures. | Photo: Michael Bixler
City Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the district that the Graffiti Pier property is a part of, will meet with Conrail this week to discuss possible options for the pier. “Councilmember Squilla supports the plan to create an open space for the public, but nothing can move forward unless they decide to sell the property,” said Anne Kelly, Squilla’s chief of staff.
An investigation into what caused the collapse, and whether or not it will happen again, is just getting underway. Until more information is made public, supporters of Graffiti Pier will have to continue playing the waiting game.
“My hope is that the damage Conrail’s neglect has created at Graffiti Pier will not stop it from becoming an official park. That is, a park that is safe from collapse, made more accessible, and that maintains the essence of this well-used and beloved space,” Benner said. “The desired path is clear and leads to the maintenance of Graffiti Pier and preservation of it as a public green space and non-curated, creative outlet for Philadelphians. As far as I see it, this is the mandate from the people of our city who’ve cultivated and cared for the pier since it was abandoned.”
