Navy Pier shutting down until spring because of too few visitors

Chicago’s Navy Pier is closing again until next spring because attendance has been too low during the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Tuesday.

CHICAGO - Chicago’s Navy Pier is closing again until next spring because attendance has been too low during the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Tuesday.

“Navy Pier, Chicago’s iconic lakefront destination, will implement a temporary Pier-wide closure starting Tuesday, September 8 in an effort to limit the financial burden and impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on the organization,” the pier said in a statement.

The closure will halt all Pier-wide operations, including that of Navy Pier’s more than 70 small local businesses, which have also experienced significantly low attendance throughout the pandemic. Public access to the Pier’s outdoor spaces, including Polk Bros Park and North and South Docks, will also be limited or prohibited during the closure.

“While this was a very difficult decision for the organization, it was a necessary one to proactively ensure the long-term success of one of Chicago’s most treasured and important civic institutions and the communities it serves,” said Marilynn Gardner, the pier’s president and CEO. “This decision will 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.”

Navy Pier anticipates reopening in spring of 2021.

Associated Press contributed to this report.