The Yard

Building on its history as a place of production and innovation for the U.S. Navy, the Navy Yard today is a growing community where companies and their employees thrive.

25 Years of Transformation

In 2025, PIDC–the public-private economic development partner of the City of Philadelphia–is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Navy Yard!

Over the past 25 years, PIDC has led the redevelopment of the former naval base with support from local, state, and federal government. The Navy Yard is now not only a thriving business campus and innovation hub, but also an economic powerhouse for Philadelphia.

We will be marking the 25th Anniversary of the Navy Yard with a yearlong celebration of its impact on Philadelphia through investment, job creation, and business attraction. Join us for signature events, storytelling, and more throughout the year!

In the Beginning

Since acquiring the 1,200-acre site from the federal government in 2000, PIDC, Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation and master developer of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, has led the planning, development, and operation of the Navy Yard on behalf of the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development (PAID). PIDC’s mission—to spur investment, support business growth, and foster developments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive growth to every corner of Philadelphia—strongly informs our strategy for the Navy Yard, which focuses on creating an environment that drives employment, innovation, and production.

Building Innovation

POLITICO has called the Navy Yard “the coolest shipyard in America” and many industry observers, including the Urban Land Institute, have recognized the community as a leading model for repurposing military and industrial assets for a diversified modern economy. Home to reimagined shipbuilding facilities as well as new high-performance and energy-efficient construction, the Navy Yard has a variety of flexible buildings with different heights, vintages, and floorplates, powered by a nationally recognized microgrid and oriented around iconic parks, Complete Streets, and a riverfront greenway.

Looking Forward

Today, the Navy Yard is an expanding community of 15,000 employees and 150 employers who occupy 8 million square feet of facilities across a mix of property types, including office, retail, industrial, R&D, and institutional. These employers include the Urban Outfitters headquarters; Jefferson Health; life science and technology startups including Adaptimmune, Coriell Life Sciences, Iovance Biotherapeutics, and WuXi Advanced Therapies; manufacturers; corporate R&D; and critical U.S. Navy engineering centers. The Navy Yard will support an additional 8.9 million square feet of commercial and residential development at full buildout.