Aquarium drops plan for riverfront viewing tower
Camden's Adventure Aquarium has given up on long-delayed plans to build a 300-foot-high tower offering panoramic views of Philadelphia and the Delaware River.
Camden's Adventure Aquarium has given up on long-delayed plans to build a 300-foot-high tower offering panoramic views of Philadelphia and the Delaware River.
Representatives of the aquarium, who announced the $5 million project in 2013, said the company that was given the task of designing the tower - United Kingdom-based Tower Systems - could not make the plan work. The tower would have been the first of its kind for that company to build.
"The proposal for the Skyview Tower prototype was promising; however, the concept did not successfully translate into an attainable project," Vince Nicoletti, executive director and vice president of Adventure Aquarium, said in a statement Tuesday.
The project was funded by the aquarium's parent company, Herschend Family Entertainment, and would have been built just south of the aquarium.
When it was announced at a news conference in 2013, Aquarium director Kevin Keppel said the tower would draw more visitors to the city's waterfront. Mayor Dana L. Redd championed the idea as a way to celebrate "two cities, one waterfront."
There was no immediate word on any specific plans for the location, which is near the site of a multimillion-dollar residential, commercial, and retail development recently proposed for the waterfront.
"Adventure Aquarium will continue to consider future projects that entertain families for years to come," Nicoletti said.
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