A Condo on Pier 3 in Philly - $249,000
3 N Columbus Blvd APT PL202
Philadelphia, PA 19106
1 bed/1.5 bath - 800 sqft - HOA: $599/mo
In 1907, the City of Philadelphia established the Department of Wharves, Docks and Ferries as a division of its Department of Commerce to meet the needs of the city's growing foreign, inter-coastal, coastal and Delaware River trade. Besides having regulatory power for the entire local urban waterfront, the new department oversaw the construction and maintenance of dozens of municipally-owned piers and port facilities in the early decades of the 20th century. The Department of Wharves, Docks and Ferries built Pier 3 North and its sister building Pier 5 North in 1922 and 1923 as the last component of this particular phase of improvements to the Port of Philadelphia.
After several decades of hard and faithful service on the Delaware riverfront, Municipal Piers 3 and 5 succumbed to more modern methods of port operations and cargo transportation. Huge new port facilities were constructed in South Philadelphia after World War II. The two outmoded warehouses lingered on into the 1960s, after which they stood abandoned and forlorn along the area that would eventually become known as Penn's Landing.
Like most other derelict docks and ferry landings in the river district, Piers 3 and 5 were slated for demolition in the grand urban renewal plans. But only half of Penn's Landing was ever built, thus sparing the two structures.
Slowly, the rough and tumble dock area along the Delaware River was transformed into an appealing destination for Philadelphians and tourists seeking recreational activities. Instead of cargo ships, cruise ships and pleasure boats began plying the Delaware. As Penn's Landing became increasingly popular, adaptive reuse of the Girard Piers was sought. Meanwhile, they were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 in recognition of their early art deco architecture. Soon after this, in a stroke of genius and a leap of faith, developers converted the piers into residences on the water. And so rather than house cargo, Piers 3 and 5 were transformed to house people.
