Battleship New Jersey is getting a 3-story visitor center, double the parking, and more with $24 million upgrades

Battleship New Jersey will soon undergo another facelift through a $24.25 million redevelopment project tackling work on and off the ship.

The project, which could take about two years to complete, includes an expanded visitor center, double the parking, and a new event space.

Marshall Spevak, Battleship New Jersey’s CEO, said it is the biggest capital investment in the ship since it opened its doors 25 years ago.

Big J, nearly 2½ football fields long, returned to the Camden waterfront in June after the World War II-era vessel was dry-docked in Philadelphia for two years while it received multimillion-dollar routine maintenance, repairs, and a paint job for the first time in three decades.

Back on the water, the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial announced plans Wednesday for infrastructure improvements to the ship, along with landside renovations, that are scheduled to start during the second or third quarter of 2027.

The visitor center at 62 Battleship Place has not changed much since the USS New Jersey went public in 2001, Spevak said.

At the time, the center was deemed temporary. At less than 4,000 square feet, Spevak said, the structure was comparable to a Butler building — a cost-effective, ready-made storage warehouse — and to a shipping container.

But after 25 years, the nonprofit is looking to build something permanent.

“Right now, we do what we can,” Spevak said. “But this entire project is building a campus that’s worthy of the ship.”

The new $9.5 million visitor center, at the same address, will be about 8,700 square feet, more than double its current size. The facility, three stories with a roof deck, will include a new store, a small cafe with a commercial kitchen, exhibit and collection spaces, and offices for staff.

The plan will also add a level to the current parking lot at Wiggins Marina, which will double visitors’ parking options to 240 spaces.

That $5 million parking project will allow all visitors to park in one place, Spevak said, and hopefully resolve confusion drivers currently face when their GPS devices lead them to various spots along the waterfront.

Battleship New Jersey will also undergo $6 million upgrades on board, including a new private event space on the main deck, painting and repairs to the ship’s superstructure, new exterior lighting, accessibility improvements, a better generator system, more than $1 million in bathroom renovations, pier repairs, elevator shaft fixes, and more.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also set to dredge Big J’s berth, or remove sediment and silt from where the ship currently sits. Spevak said that likely will not take place until the second half of 2027, when the ship will close for a couple of weeks while it temporarily relocates during the dredging process.

PS&S, a firm based in Cherry Hill, is the architectural and engineering firm leading the project, Spevak said, with help from engineering firm Pennoni. A general contractor has not been assigned to the project yet, though Spevak said that decision could come later this year.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will support the project with $19.9 million in tax credits awarded through its Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion program, according to Camden County officials. The program incentivizes capital projects at arts and culture spots statewide.

Because Battleship New Jersey is a public charity and does not pay taxes, the nonprofit has a buyer lined up to purchase the tax credits, Spevak said, which will allow the organization to pay down its debt service on the project.

Spevak said the nonprofit could not have pursued the renovations, which he hopes will help revitalize the Camden waterfront, without the state program.

“This project is what will keep us growing on the waterfront,” Spevak said.

After the tax credits, the outstanding project costs come from “a mix of Battleship funds, revenue, and investments along with a grant from the Camden County Open Space & Historic Preservation Fund,” Spevak said in an email.

Camden County will help out, too.

Spevak said the county will support the structure by giving the nonprofit a long-term lease for the parking garage, provide some cash equity, and guarantee the bond required for the project, which allows Battleship New Jersey to borrow using the county’s bond rating and get better interest rates.