Navy Pier - Chicago, Illinois
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 41° 53.494 W 087° 36.463
16T E 449584 N 4637915
The Navy Pier was built in 1916 as part of Daniel Burnham and associates "Plan of Chicago". Over the years it has seen many uses.
Waymark Code: WM1XT7
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/29/2007
Views: 34
The following excerpt is from "The WPA Guide to Illinois":
NAVY PIER, at the foot of Grand Avenue, extends 1,000 yards into the lake as a terminal for freight and pleasure craft, and as a summer playground. Recreational facilities at the east end include picnic and dining pavilions, children's playground, dance hall, auditorium, excursion landing, and promenades. Garden clubs and others use the long sheds for periodic displays. From the far end of the pier is an excellent view of Chicago's skyline.
The Navy Pier was built in 1916 as part of Daniel Burnham and associates "Plan of Chicago". Originally it was used primarily as a cargo facility for lake freighters, and warehouses were built up and down the pier. However, there was also private docking space for passenger ships and at the end of the pier there was an area for public entertainment. A streetcar ran the length of the pier at this time. Later the pier was used by the Navy as a docking facility, and after WWII it was used by the University of Illinois as a undergraduate school for retraining returning war veterans.
In the Early 1990's the pier was renovated at a cost of about $200 million and a 150 foot ferris wheel and rides were added along with an IMAX theater, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, and numerous snack kiosks and vendors. It is still the departure location for the many sightseeing cruises along the Chicago river and the Lake Michigan shoreline.
A new plan for the park was released in January of 2006 with a price tag of 2 billion dollars. It calls 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 theater would also be renovated and enlarged.