Officials of the city government of Chicago have confirmed news that a new Ferris Wheel will be put up to replace the one at Navy Pier.
According to Chicago Curbed, the current Ferris Wheel, which was built in 1995 and was inspired by the one built for Chicago's World Columbian Exposition in 1893, is an iconic structure in the Windy City's skyline. It has 40 gondolas, which can accommodate six passengers each, and has 40 spokes which light up at night time, the lights swallowing the water at Lake Michigan.
The new Wheel, however, will be around 50 feet taller than the current one, and will be 68 feet shorter than the Expo's Ferris Wheel, standing at 196 feet. Costing $26.5 million, it will be privately financed by a loan from Fifth Third Park to Navy Pier Inc., and will not get any funds from the city government for its construction.
It is expected to be in the Pier by May 2016, offering a new structure to tourists in one of Chicago's most popular sites. It is designed and built by Dutch Wheels, a firm based in the Netherlands, and will offer 42 enclosed gondolas that have padded seats, a multimedia system with speakers, screens, and a fog-preventing condensation system. These are clear upgrades from the current wheel, Chicago Curbed reports.
Brian Murphy, chief operating officer of Navy Pier Inc. which manages the current state, designs new structures and plans re-development for the Pier. Murphy insists that the new wheel is not a means for Chicago to compete with the Ferris Wheel projects that are currently ongoing construction in New York and Dubai.
"I wouldn't say that bigger is always better," he said to The Chicago Tribune. "It's more about the experience and elevating the experience with our guests with year-round use of the wheel," Murphy added.
The operations of the Ferris Wheel will be temporary closed due to the construction, which will start end of September, and will resume again in summer 2016, in accordance to the 2016 Centennial celebration.