Navy Pier

Navy Pier is a 3,000 foot long pier on Lake Michigan built in Chicago in 1916 as Municipal Pier #2 (Municipal Pier #1 was never built). Originally constructed to accommodate package freight vessels, excursion steamers, warehouses and public entertainment, the pier had its own streetcar.

The rise of motor vehicles led to the pier's disuse in the 1930s, and during World War II, the U.S. Navy began using the pier for training. At this time, its name was changed to Navy Pier. When the war ended, the pier was sold to the University of Illinois, which used the facility from 1946 though 1955, when the pier again fell into disuse.

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. Further renovation and construction followed in the 1990s, resulting in the pier's current layout with shops, museums, ballrooms, exhibition halls, auditoriums, and a 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel.

Navy Pier also hosts an Imax[?] screen, the Chicago Children's Museum[?] and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass.