Chicago's Playground

 “The idea was to impress visitors with what they saw both up close and at a distance” (17).

The Book   

Navy Pier: A Chicago Landmark by Douglas Bukowski is a well written, detailed, and interesting history of Chicago’s 3,000 foot pier. Bukowski includes many pictures from the beginning of Chicago up to the pier today.

Bukowski traces the idea of a pier from Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Chicago Plan to the renovation in the mid-1990s. Charles Summer Frost was chosen to design the Municipal Pier in 1913 and it was dedicated in 1916. The pier was used for military training in both World Wars. It saw the training of carrier pigeons in World War I and the training of Navy pilots in World War II. The name was changed to Navy Pier, in 1927, to honor those who served during World War I. In between the World Wars, the pier became a “place where people could enjoy themselves without fear of violence or moral corruption” (23). During this time, an emphasis was placed on the civic education of the people of Chicago.

Bukowski tells of the growing pains Navy Pier experienced after World War II. The University of Illinois used the pier as a satellite campus from 1947-1964. At the end of that time, the pier was in disrepair from so many different uses and alterations. The upcoming American Bicentennial brought about new restoration for the pier and a renewed interest. Bukowski defines the mid-1990s renovation as a close return to Daniel Burnham’s original plan. 

The Place   

Navy Pier is a place that all ages can have fun exploring. There are high-end restaurants, fast-food, and Chicago favorites. A children’s museum and funhouse can entertain children for hours. An IMAX theater shows new releases and documentaries. The Shakespeare Theatre is located on the pier, along with the Skyline Stage for concerts.

My favorite parts of the pier are the Ferris wheel and walking to the edge of the pier. The Ferris wheel is 148 feet tall and pays homage to the first Ferris wheel at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. It can carry 240 people in forty gondolas on a seven and a half minute ride. I think it provides one of the best views of the Chicago skyline. If you are on the pier you should also walk all the way to the end. You can look back and see the city from atop Lake Michigan or you can look out into the lake at the ships sailing past.