As Penn proceeds with its plans to develop of the postal lands and marches toward the Schuylkill, there is an increasing push to make the river an attractive destination.
The Schuylkill River Development Corporation recently set forth a plan to build two new docks along the river as part of a grand strategy aimed at revitalizing the corridor.
These docks could serve as a jumping-off point for river cruises and possibly for a future water-taxi service.
Development plans call for a 54-foot installation at Bartram's Garden -- located on 54th Street -- and a 45-foot dock at Chestnut Street.
Bartram's Garden Executive Director Bill LeFevre is excited about the prospects these plans bring for the city.
He said that the project has an "'If you build it, they will come' mentality."
Since 2002, limited cruises have been running from Bartram's Garden along the Schuylkill to the Philadelphia Waterworks -- a facility adjacent to Boathouse Row with a small waterfall.
The existing dock, though, is only accessible during high tides and so is of limited use.
Additionally, the cruises simply make a one-hour loop, as there are no places to disembark along the way.
New docks, though, could solve these problems.
"People want to be on the river," LeFevre said, noting the overwhelming success of the current summer cruises.
With the river's bridges alight, he said, "It's a lot like going down the river in Paris."
LeFevre is also looking forward to the prospect of more people being able to enjoy the river.
That, said William Penn Foundation spokesman Brent Thompson, is exactly why the organization gave $2 million to fund the project.
They hope "to broaden the constituency of people who can enjoy the river," he said.
While water-taxis would be new to the Schuylkill, they have been implemented successfully in Baltimore, where Wharton sophomore Daniel Josephs lives. Josephs thinks the project could be successful.
"I think that would be interesting," he said, adding that travel on the water could enhance the city's recreation options.
These developments, however, are only the beginning.
"Clearly, we must think long term," said Harris Steinberg, a Penn Architecture professor and city-planning expert.
He predicted a time frame of 50 years or more for the completion of the river's transformation from an industrial remnant to a commercial hub.
This does not mean, though, that residents will have to defer gratification for half a century.
In the eyes of the public, the Schuylkill often takes a backseat to the Delaware River, but in fact plans for the former are "light years ahead," Steinberg said.
He added that the revival plans for the Schuylkill focus on city-dwellers, while some proposals for Penn's Landing on the Delaware have centered around tourism.
Although LeFevre is hopeful that the Bartram's Garden dock will be operational this summer, construction is being delayed by an unusual cause -- shad.
The anadromous fish -- they swim upstream -- must complete their migration before building can begin. This should occur sometime in June.
