Graffiti Pier is being fast-tracked to become a public park

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A long-delayed deal to sell Graffiti Pier to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation appears to be back on track.

Pier 19, a Conrail railroad company-owned concrete structure in Port Richmond designed to load coal into ships, has sat unused for 30 years. In that time it has developed an international reputation among graffiti artists and urban adventurers willing to trespass on private property.

Conrail and the DRWC have been negotiating for years on a possible deal that would turn Graffiti Pier and its neighbor, Pier 20, aka Pebble Beach, into a 6-acre public park.

DRWC president Joe Forkin said that the deal kept getting derailed.

“The pandemic was, of course, a big hold-up. And then a big staff turnover at Conrail where they have a new president, new general counsel, and new director of real estate services,” Forkin said. “We got back on track.”

Conrail has been trying for decades to keep trespassers off the pier, but president and COO Brian Gorton said security fencing did little to stop illegal access. The company kept an eye out for other buyers who would use Pier 19 as originally intended for industrial rail logistics, but that never panned out.

The recent structural failure of the pier that caused a portion to suddenly collapse into the river in August spurred Conrail to fast-track a sale.

“The attention with the issue that happened with the pier a couple of months ago, where we had some erosion on the pier itself, brought it to light,” Gorton said. “What do we really want to do with this pier?”

Gorton said turning Graffiti Pier over to DRWC to make it a public park is the best option for both Conrail and the city’s waterfront, which has been rapidly transforming from an industrial site to a residential one.

“We had a memorandum of understanding that was probably a little dated. There were some issues going back and forth between the attorneys,” Gorton said. “We decided to enter a new memo of understanding, and that’s where we’re at right now. Everything looks good.”

Approval of the deal ultimately rests with the Conrail board, which will meet on November 14. Gorton expects to begin finalizing the sale by the end of the year.

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation has a preliminary plan for the riverfront parcel, developed in 2020 through a community planning process to keep the art-covered concrete structure and surround it with a cleaner, more inviting park-like environment.

The nearby Pier 20, which Forkin describes as having “returned to nature,” was envisioned as a wetland area with walkable trails.

But due to the collapse, those plans might change.

“As part of this new conversation and negotiation with Conrail, we have to do some due diligence out there and figure out the viability of the pier,” he said. “If anything was impacted further than just the partial collapse portion of it.”

Despite the damage, Forkin said DRWC is committed to acquiring the property and maintaining as much of the pier as possible, including its layers of graffiti.

“It’s an iconic structure that’s internationally known by urban explorers at this point. It’s one of the most Instagrammed moments in Philadelphia, whether you’re supposed to be there or not,” he said. “The sheer acreage and size of the pier would really have it be a significant public park.”