Joseph R. Syrnick, a lifelong Philadelphia resident who became its chief engineer and surveyor, supervising hundreds of projects in the city including reconstruction of the Schuylkill Expressway and revitalization of recreational access to the Schuylkill River, has died. He was 79.
Syrnick, P.E., L.S., M.ASCE, joined the city’s Streets Department in 1971 after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Drexel University, then spent the next 34 years overseeing projects.
After becoming chief engineer and surveyor of Philadelphia in 1986, Syrnick’s projects included overseeing the Schuylkill Expressway and West River Drive (now Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) reconstruction, the addition of new streetlights and trees along South Broad Street and an upgrade of six city golf courses in the 1990s.
When he wasn't advocating for trail development or advancing capital projects, you could expect to find Syrnick on the banks of the Schuylkill River setting up movie nights, helping kayakers off the docks, and narrating riverboat tours in which he enthusiastically shared the river’s rich history. “Every city needs a great river,” he once said. His passion for the river led to one of his greatest achievements.
A mission Syrnick led to revitalize the lower river corridor resulted in what is now known as Schuylkill Banks. His work was motivated by his strong desire to bring access to Philadelphia's "hidden river" for all. Just last year, Drexel awarded him an honorary doctorate for “his visionary leadership in engaging diverse civic partners to revive the promise of a waterfront jewel in Philadelphia.”
He was an optimist and master negotiator, colleagues said, who worked well with people and the system. “You have concepts that seem simple,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1998. “But when you commit them to writing, they raise all kinds of other questions.”
Schuylkill River Development Corporation colleagues praised his perseverance and commitment and noted his “legacy of ingenuity, optimism, and service.” Syrnick’s ability to engage diverse civic partners to revive the Schuylkill riverfront is embedded in all of SRDC’s projects.
In addition to his 20 years as president and chief executive officer of the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, he was vice chair of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, and a former Drexel adjunct professor and mentor. He was a past president of the Philadelphia Board of Surveyors, alongside active memberships with ASCE, the Engineers’ Club of Philadelphia, and other groups.
Born in Philadelphia in 1946, Synrick knew Mary Beth Stenn from the neighborhood, they married in 1970, had three daughters and became “the ultimate girl dad” to Genevieve, Amy, and Megan.
