Real estate firm Tower Investments acquired Piers 38 and 40 from the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority over a year ago and efforts to preserve them are currently underway, writes Aaron Moselle for WHYY.

Tower Investments’ principal Bart Blatstein, one of the city’s most influential developers, has reached out to the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia to discuss the possibility of a preservation easement to take place.

Executive director Paul Steinke is strongly in favor of the proposition.

“They’re clearly interesting and beautiful structures on our riverfront that deserve preservation and rehabilitation and reuse,” he said of the piers, adding that he hopes to see them repurposed in an impactful way. 

The piers — which were used to store and ship goods — were built between 1914 and 1915, as then-Mayor Rudolph Blankenburg wanted to expand and modernize the Port of Philadelphia along the Delaware River.

They represent a previous era of Philadelphia’s history, when it was known for its manufacturing prowess.

Oscar Beisert, architectural historian and preservationist with the Keeping Society of Philadelphia, has nominated the piers for historic designation. 

While the historical nomination is currently on hold as the preservation easement process plays out, it can play a huge role in what ends up happening with them.

Learn more about the history and potential future of Piers 38 and 40 in WHYY.

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