Maritime Museum gets a boost

The Maritime Museum got a new lease on life yesterday when Mayor Rendell joined Penn's Landing officials to sign a long term lease of the Port of History Museum facility on Penn's Landing. "This is going to be a beautiful facility," Rendell said. "I think this can be one of the greatest riverfronts in the nation." Mayor Rendell said he feels the project will help the city's tourism industry and attract conventioneers to the new Convention Center. Rendell also said that he thought this would add a "family" attraction to Penn's Landing. Proponents of the project said that it will provide a Philadelphia anchor to the Camden Aquarium, and that the two will be linked by the year-old "Delawhale" ferry. "Obviously I'm very pleased that we can continue the Maritime Museum," City Councilmember Joe Vignola said. "I believe it's a winning situation for both parties." Vignola also stressed that the project would save the city thousands of dollars in maintenance, which the Maritime Museum would assume. "It is a good trend in these public/private partnerships," said At-Large City Councilmember Jim Kenney. Kenney said that although the Port of History Museum was being leased to the Maritime Museum, cultural and arts groups would still have low-cost access to the 500-seat auditorium. The museum plans to renovate the existing structure, erect a new boat construction workshop and triple its educational program opportunities. The project is scheduled to take between one year and 18 months to complete and the museum has already raised $4 million toward the project's cost.

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