PHILADELPHIA – The city's Navy Yard, a massive military powerhouse where battleships were born until the Cold War put it on ice, is celebrating a milestone that seemed a stretch when the Navy shipped out 17 years ago.

Once the nation's first shipyard — its origins date to 1776 — the sprawling property is now home to 130 companies and 10,000 employees in industries as varied as fashion, pharmaceuticals, colleges and cupcakes.

"There was a lot of uncertainty early on," said John Grady, president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. "People weren't sure what we were going to do to replace this engine of activity that was there."