CHICAGO-Showing progress on a $155 million plan to redesign and improve Navy Pier, one of the state’s most visited tourist attractions, the governing body has hired a famous New York City-based architect. The Navy Pier Inc. board has hired James Corner Field Operations, the company behind such projects as NYC’s Highline park redevelopment of a former rail line and its recent selection to design Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
The company was selected on elements such as its understanding of the complexity of Navy Pier, relevant experience with large-scale projects and a commitment to environmental sustainability, according to a statement. The new project has been dubbed “Pierscape,” with the hope that it will be completed by the landmark’s 100th anniversary in 2016. About nine million people visit Navy Pier annually.
The non-profit Navy Pier Inc. took over management of the landmark in July, and said it planned the $155 million upgrade plan. The 50-acre, David Burnham-designed site is owned by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which said in July that plans include expansions to the Children’s Museum and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, as well as a new 150-room boutique hotel. A better entryway and more upscale retail is also desired, according to the authority and the management group.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement about the hire that public spaces are the heart and soul of a city. “We have a remarkable opportunity to make Navy Pier one of those unique public places,” he said. The project would follow the massive and successful development of Millennium Park along Lake Michigan, to the south of the pier.
While the design team submitted a 70-page upgrade proposal, the board said more work will be done to refine the vision. James Corner’s proposal includes such ideas as opening up the entrance to be a large park, alternating the retail offerings into separate stories and sections along Lake Michigan, adding shaded pavilions along the walkway (the area currently lacks protection from rain), gardens in the indoor portion, new children’s rides and upgraded Ferris Wheel cabs, an amphitheater near the end of the pier and even a “floating pool” hanging over the edge.
The authority agreed to provide $50 million as seed funding for the upgrade, with Navy Pier Inc. also exploring additional revenue sources such as naming rights. The management company said recently that it is in the early stages of developing a fundraising plan. The timeline of the project has not yet been announced.
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