December 16, 2023
Source/Rivers Casino Philadelphia
The Riversuites, a 62-room hotel operated by Rivers Casino Philadelphia, is now open at The Battery in Fishtown. Shown above is a guest room at the hotel, which is inside the historic Delaware River Generating Station just north of the casino.
Rivers Casino has opened its new boutique hotel at the renovated PECO power plant on the Delaware River waterfront, completing part of a larger redevelopment of the landmark building in Fishtown.
The Riversuites Hotel began taking reservations this week for 62 apartment-style suites that occupy four floors of The Battery, the mixed-use project at the former Delaware River Generating Station. A formal grand opening for the hotel will be held Dec. 20.
The complex at 1325 N. Beech St. stands out on the riverfront with its eight chimneys — each 167 feet tall — and Beaux-Arts classical revival-style architecture. It's just north of Penn Treaty Park and Rivers Casino.
Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds purchased the 11-acre property in 2020. The $154 million redevelopment project includes residential units, offices, and indoor and outdoor event spaces along with other amenities.
Guest suites at the Riversuites average about 854 square feet, with larger accommodations available up to 2,266 square feet. The rooms all have full kitchens and feature a mix of patios and bi-level lofts. One-, two- and three-bedroom units are available.
Features of the hotel include an indoor basketball court, pool table, lobby gathering spaces and co-working space.
In July, Rivers Casino said the $7 million hotel project was being privately funded as part of The Battery renovation.
A rendering of the Riversuites hotel lobby.
A bedroom suite at the RIversuites Hotel.
Casino guests can get to the hotel on foot using the Delaware Riverwalk — roughly a five-minute walk — or take the casino's complimentary 24/7 shuttle. Valet parking is available for those who drive.
The Riversuites is one of two hotels inside the 500,000-square-foot complex. Another 45-room hotel called The Switch House is operated by Cescaphe Event Group, which has a 100,000-square-foot event space at The Battery for weddings and other occasions.
The former Delaware River Generating Station opened on Beech Street in 1921 and once provided power to nearly half of Philadelphia. The PECO facility operated as a power plant into the 1970s and was decommissioned in 2008. The building received national and local historic designations in 2016.
The residential portion of The Battery will have 173 apartments, including some that will be available as furnished rentals. The building also will have 135,000 square of office space once the project is completed next year. Pier 61, originally the power station's coal pier, will be transformed into a public gathering space.
The Battery will offer sweeping views of the Delaware River and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to the south.
The Battery will have a number of gathering and event spaces that take advantage of the Delaware riverfront.
