Navy Pier
Navy Pier, residing near Streeterville, is the largest pier on Lake Michigan close to downtown Chicago.
It was originally known as the Municipal Pier #2, and was one of the two piers included in Daniel Burnham’s 1909 original Chicago plan. The second pier was never built. Construction for Navy Pier started in May 1914, and completed in 1916 when it was opened to the public. At the time it was the world’s largest pier, stretching 292 ft wide and 3000ft long. The pier was originally built for shipping and as an entertainment area. In its first ten years, Navy Pier successfully attracted both visitors and ships. It was also sometimes used as a military facility during the first world war. Today Navy Pier hosts a vast array of world renoun attractions, supplies hundreds of jobs for the community, and serves as a valuable source of revenue for the city of Chicago.
