Navy Pier to close for the year on September 8

In a press release today, Navy Pier announced that it will implement a “temporary closure” starting Tuesday, September 8 and remaining in place until the spring of 2021. At that time, the historic facility will reopen, provided that the “status of the pandemic” allows it do to so. 

The reason for the closure is the “financial burden and impact of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the organization.”

Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner said that the “difficult decision” was necessary to “ensure the long-term success of (the Pier) and the communities it serves.” She added that the move would also help “preserve the future of the many on-site businesses, which continue to face hardships of their own as a result of the pandemic.”

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There are more than 70 local businesses located on Navy Pier, and most of them have experienced “significantly low attendance throughout the pandemic,” according to the release. After closing for nearly three months to comply with statewide pandemic orders, the majority reopened along with the Pier on June 10.

But the Centennial Wheel, Chicago Children’s Museum, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater have remained closed since March 16.

The absence of these “on-site cultural anchors” — together with capacity restrictions on restaurants, events, banquets and conventions — have prevented Navy Pier from “resuming full operations and offering full experiences to guests.” It has also reduced a significant revenue source for the Pier, an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that does not receive any public tax dollars to support its operating costs.

To read the full release from Navy Pier, click here.