Located on Lake Michigan just east of Chicago's downtown, Navy Pier ranks as one of Chicago's most enduring and endearing landmarks. After a spectacular transformation, it emerged in the mid-90s as a multimillion-dollar convention, cultural and recreational center. It is now the state's most visited attraction.

A Master Plan
Navy Pier is a direct descendant of Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan for Chicago, which included the famous phrase, "Make no little plans." While Burnham recognized the importance of port and harbor facilities, he urged the development of Chicago's lakefront as park space to the greatest extent possible. He envisioned what has now become the world's finest lakefront park system, dotted with some of the top cultural attractions in the world including the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History.

The Early Days
Built in 1916, the pier was unique because it not only served Lake Michigan freighters, but it was also designed as a public recreation facility and meeting place. Individuals could even board a package freighter at the pier and travel to nearly any city on the Great Lakes. During the 1930s, with the Great Depression and the advent of the motor truck, the package freighter business ended and the shipping lines vanished one by one. Daily excursion boats and passenger-carrying side-wheelers continued to use the facility throughout the 1930s.

In August 1941, the pier officially closed to the public and was converted to military use. The U.S. Navy took over the entire facility, subdividing it into classrooms for a naval aircraft mechanics training school. Two aircraft carriers also operated from the pier training more than 15,000 pilots. Until the end of World War II, the navy controlled the site.

The University of Illinois (U of I) established a Chicago campus at Navy Pier in late 1946. With numerous veterans recently discharged from the service and enrolling in colleges, a Chicago campus was greatly needed. Many U of I graduates still remember classes competing with construction improvements tied to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959. A few years later, the campus relocated to new facilities just west of the downtown area.

With the completion of this new gateway to the Atlantic Ocean, the pier once again served Chicago as a world port. However, as larger ships arrived, it became necessary to relocate the city's port facilities to a deeper harbor area at Lake Calumet.

An Entertainment Complex
While the pier fell into disrepair during the 1970s and early 1980s, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago developed a plan for its future. It was decided that ownership of the pier would be transferred in 1989 to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), the same municipal organization that oversees Chicago's McCormick Place convention center. The authority moved swiftly to redesign Navy Pier into one of the country's most unique exposition and recreational facilities.

Today, Navy Pier features the Chicago Children's Museum with 15 permanent exhibits over three floors; a Family Pavilion with specialty shops; a 3-D IMAX Theater; the magnificent Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Crystal Gardens, a giant indoor botanical park; a 15-story Ferris wheel; a musical carousel; the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows; an open-air theater for summer concerts, plays and events; and cruise and sightseeing ships. In addition, Navy Pier boasts restaurants to suit every taste.

Navy Pier's other attractions include a cliff climb, a big bounce trampoline, Build-A-Bear Workshop, a wave swinger ride, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a virtual reality ride/mirror maze and a 3-D ride.

The pier is within blocks of museums, parks and shops, and is easily accessible by taxi, public transit and automobile (enclosed on-pier parking available). Free trolley buses also operate between the pier and State Street.

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Navy Pier 600 East Grand Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 (800) 595-PIER (312) 595-PIER Visitor Information Center Chicago Cultural Center 77 East Randolph Street (Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue) Chicago, IL (312) 567-8500

Visitor Information Center Chicago Water Works 163 East Pearson Street (Pearson Street and Michigan Avenue) Chicago, IL (312) 567-8500