Navy Pier

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Navy Pier is a 3,000 foot long pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. The pier was built in 1916 at a cost of $4.5 million; it was a part of the Plan of Chicago developed by architect and city planner Daniel Burnham and his associates. As Municipal Pier #2 (Municipal Pier #1 was never built), Navy Pier was planned and built to serve as a mixed-purpose piece of public infrastructure. Its primary purpose was as a cargo facility for lake freighters, and warehouses were built up and down the pier. However, the pier was also designed to provide docking space for passenger excursion steamers, and in the pre-air conditioning era parts of the pier, especially its outermost tip, were designed to serve as cool places for public gathering and entertainment. The pier even had its own streetcar.

1 First use: as a pier
2 Second use: as a college classroom
3 Third use: as a public gathering place
4 Possible fourth use: as a waterpark?
5 Gallery
6 External links
7 References

[edit] First use: as a pier

Even as Chicago Municipal Pier was being built, the invention of mass-produced cars and trucks was beginning to wreak havoc on the package freight and passenger steamboat industries of Lake Michigan. The pier proved to be much more successful as a public gathering place. During the 1950s, it is estimated that an average of 3.2 million visitors frequented the pier annually, with peak attendance for the "Pageant of Progress." This decade is sometimes called the pier's "Golden Age."

The use of the pier for serious marine purposes reached a temporary peak during World War II, when the city leased the pier to the U.S. Navy. The Navy's air group training arm made the pier a quay for a pair of converted flattops, the U.S.S. Wolverine and the U.S.S. Sable, which were used as freshwater trainee carriers. At this time, 60,000 soldiers as well as 15,000 pilots used this area for training. In honor of this service, Chicago Municipal Pier's name was changed to Navy Pier.

[edit] Second use: as a college classroom

With the war over, Navy Pier went to the University of Illinois, which used the facility beginning in 1946 for a two-year undergraduate program to educate returning veterans [1]. During its University of Illinois days, Navy Pier was also the site of a string of public events. The International Exhibitions of the early 1960s drew attractions from around the world, including circus and folkloric dance acts, arts and crafts, and international cuisine. In 1965, the University moved to the Chicago Circle campus, and the pier again fell into disuse.

[edit] Third use: as a public gathering place

In 1965-1989, Navy Pier was often called an underutilized eyesore. No government agency in or around Chicago wanted to invest money in it. Many advocates, inspired by the Plan of Chicago and the pier's successful use as a public gathering place in the 1920s, called for its reconstruction.

In 1976, Navy Pier began its third life as an area for public exhibits, when the East Buildings (furthest into Lake Michigan) were opened as exhibition halls. Special events including music and arts festivals began to draw crowds to the pier despite its aging infrastructure.

In 1989, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority took control over the pier. Major renovation and construction followed in the 1990s at a cost of $200 million (USD). As rebuilt in the 1990s, the pier's current layout includes fast-food kiosks, shops, a ballroom, a concert stage, and convention exhibition halls.

Centerpiece attractions include a 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel, an IMAX theater, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Chicago Children's Museum, and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows.

The pier now features a large front lawn showcasing numerous larger-than-life public art sculptures and an interactive dancing fountain. It continues to be used as an embarkation point for tour and excursion boats. One of its most popular yearly attraction is the tall ships Venetian Night festival.

The pier and its grounds encompass more than 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants and other entertainment. Navy Pier contains 170,000 total square feet of exhibition space, 50,000 square feet of reception space and 48,000 square feet of meeting room space.

[edit] Possible fourth use: as a waterpark?

On January 13, 2006, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the government agency which runs Navy Pier, released plans for a major renovation of the pier which would include a monorail, a 260-foot spokeless Ferris wheel, a rollercoaster, floating hotel, and an 80,000 square foot water park with a Great Lakes theme. The plan would include nearly double the current parking and a replacement theater with a greater capacity. At the time of the announcement, no price tag or date was announced.^[1] ^[2]

[edit] Gallery

Navy Pier as seen from the shore	Navy Pier as seen from the John Hancock Center	The Ferris wheel at Navy Pier	Image taken from Ferris wheel
Navy Pier as seen from a sight-seeing boat	Navy Pier as seen from the Aon Building	Navy Pier from above	Navy Pier from the Lake Guardian