The Camden Waterfront, also known as the Central Waterfront, is a commercial and entertainment district in
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...
, on the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
south of the
Ben Franklin Bridge and north of
Port of Camden.
The
Waterfront South was founded in 1851 by the Kaighns Point Land Company. During World War II, Waterfront South housed many of the industrial workers for the New York Shipbuilding Company. Currently, the Waterfront is home to many historical buildings and cultural icons. The Waterfront South neighborhood is a federal and state historic district due to its history and culturally significant buildings, such as the Sacred Heart Church and the South Camden Trust Company. The Central Waterfront is located adjacent to the
Benjamin Franklin Bridge and is home to the
Nipper Building (also known as The Victor), the
Adventure Aquarium, and
Battleship ''New Jersey''.
The district is characterized by its visitor attractions and its location offering views of the river and the
Center City skyline
A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...
. It is served by
RiverLink Ferry which crosses the river to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and the
Cooper St-Rutgers,
Aquarium
An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
, and
Entertainment Center stations of the
River Line
The River Line (stylized as River LINE) is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) service in South Jersey, southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden, New Jersey, Camden and Trenton, New Jersey, Trento ...
light rail system. According to the
2000 U.S. census, the neighborhood has a population of 962.
Attractions
The
Adventure Aquarium originally opened in 1992 as the New Jersey State Aquarium at Camden. In 2005, after extensive renovation, the aquarium was reopened under the name Adventure Aquarium. The aquarium was one of the original centerpieces in Camden's plans for revitalizing their city.
The
Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, formerly known as the BB&T Pavilion, Susquehanna Bank Center, and Tweeter Center, is a 25,000-seat open-air concert amphitheater that was opened in 1995 and renamed after a 2008 deal in which the bank would pay $10 million over 15 years for naming rights.

The was a
U.S. Navy battleship that was intermittently active between the years 1943 and 1991. After its retirement, the ship was turned into the
Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, that opened in 2001 along the waterfront. The ''New Jersey'' saw action during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, and provided support off Lebanon in early 1983.
Other attractions at the Waterfront are the
Ulysses Wiggins Park Riverstage and Marina,
One Port Center,
Nipper Building (aka Victor Lofts), the
Walt Whitman House, the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, the Rutgers–Camden Center For The Arts and the
Camden Children's Garden.

In May 2013, the
New Jersey Economic Development Authority announced that it would seek developers for the site of the demolished
Riverfront State Prison just north of the Central Waterfront and the Ben Franklin Bridge in
Cooper Point. In September 2013 Waterfront Renaissance Associates announced that it proposed to a develop a 2.3-million-square-foot commercial complex on called the Riverfront World Trade Center. The project would be built in four phases, the first of which would be a promenade along the Delaware River. The plan calls for two 22-story and two 18-story buildings. However, this proposal never came to pass.
In September 2016 the
Philadelphia 76ers opened the
Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex on the Waterfront. The new headquarters and the state-of-the-art, 120,000-square-foot practice center was made possible in part by $82 million in tax credits approved by the
New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
Development incentives

In October 2013,
Herschend Family Entertainment announced they would add an attraction adjacent to the Adventure Aquarium, a , 25-story
observation tower ride with a
moored balloon and
gondola that would carry passengers above the site offering views of city, the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
and the
Philadelphia skyline. It was planned to open in Spring 2015.
The state of New Jersey has offered numerous tax incentives to corporations to locate in Camden, many along the Waterfront and Port of Camden districts. In November 2014, the state offered tax incentives to
Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...
to relocate 250 jobs to labs at the L-3 Building and Waterfront Technology Center. Proposals to build two towers and were unveiled in September 2015. Other elements of the project began construction in December 2016.
American Water Works opened its new headquarters. A new Hilton Garden Hotel broke ground in May 2019.
See also
*
Barnegat (lightship)
*
Cooper Grant Historic District
*
List of tallest buildings in Camden
References
{{coord, 39.935593, -75.126809, type:adm3rd_globe:earth_region:US-NJ, display=title
Neighborhoods in Camden, New Jersey
Tourist attractions in Camden, New Jersey
Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in the United States