Navy Pier Marina “Breaks Water:” Construction Commences

Planned Boater Amenity Building

CHICAGO – Nov. 12, 2024 – NPM Venture LLC, operating as Navy Pier Marina (NPM), today announced that construction has commenced, and work will proceed throughout the winter in anticipation of its grand opening for the 2025 boating season. Since the project is to be built over the water and there is no ground to break, a formal Water Breaking ceremony was held.

“The years of hard work, perseverance, and dedication to this project have come to fruition with this major milestone,” said Randy D. Podolsky, developer of Navy Pier Marina. “Believing in a dream and making it a reality makes it all worthwhile to be able to bring recreational boater access to Navy Pier. Navy Pier Marina will offer limited availability to seasonal commercial vessels including fishing, sailing, dive and social charters, boat clubs, cruises, dealers, and other boat-share operations, in addition to prolific transient access via our easy-to-use online reservation system,” he added.

Boaters from Chicago and around Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes along with boating groups seeking unique and modern mooring facilities will find a home in the heart of Chicago.

Lunch and dinner hourly tie-ups as well as single and multiple overnight stays will be available. Boaters can moor up with friends and family to eat, catch a ride on the Centennial Wheel, experience Flyover Chicago and the Chicago Children’s Museum, or enjoy scores of other attractions located at Navy Pier and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The privately funded and entrepreneurially operated Navy Pier Marina will offer broadside (side-tie) mooring for vessels up to 183 feet in length on modern floating piers. The flexible dock design even allows for cleats to be repositioned to best accommodate a vessel tie-up. Marina amenities will include concierge-quality service, power and water hookups, Wi-Fi, and pump-out service.

A unique two-story boater amenity building will be constructed from single-use shipping containers which will house the marina office, ship’s store, restrooms, showers, and boater’s lounge, as well as a bicycle repair station, all in a pet-friendly environment which includes a pet relief station.

The building was designed to fit in harmony with Navy Pier, providing a modern facility with a retro look while utilizing shipping containers that are traditionally single-use and a burden on the environment unless repurposed. S.I. Container Builds is the marina amenities building container contractor.

J.F. Brennan has been selected as general contractor. Structuremarine has been selected to provide the robust aluminum pier infrastructure, while Marina Electrical Equipment will supply the marina electrical components.

“This is a dream years in the making,” said Marilynn Gardner, President and CEO of Navy Pier. “Opening up boater access to Chicago’s front porch is not only a tremendous amenity for the local and regional boating community, but also a dynamic opportunity for the 70-plus businesses that call Navy Pier home. I want to extend a personal note of gratitude to our partners at the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Chicago Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Illinois Office of Tourism for their support throughout this process.”

Visit the marina’s new website at navypiermarina.com for construction updates and soon to be announced reservation information. Follow Navy Pier Marina on Instagram and Facebook.

Navy Pier Marina was designed and engineered by Michigan-based Edgewater Resources.

ABOUT NPM VENTURE

NPM Venture LLC was formed by Chicago native Randy D. Podolsky. Randy has envisioned a recreational marina at Navy Pier, which would provide unprecedented waterborne access to the People’s Pier, since he started his boating adventures in 1983. Randy has been an active member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary since 1991 and served as the elected District Commodore of the Ninth District Western Region in 2009 and 2010, overseeing the operations of over 1,100 uniformed volunteer Coast Guard Auxiliary members. To provide financial and physical resources for local Auxiliary units, Randy formed the NFP Waukegan Water Safety Association in 2001. Randy has been an active member of the Chicago-area commercial real estate scene since 1976 where we started his career at Arthur Rubloff & Co; since 1979, he has headed Podolsky & Associates in Riverwoods, IL. He has been working on the development of Navy Pier Marina since 2016 and is excited to turn his vision into a reality for all recreational boaters interested in an easy-to-reserve transient mooring in the heart of Chicago.

ABOUT NAVY PIER

Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is the top nonprofit tourism destination in the Midwest, stretching more than six city blocks and typically welcoming nearly 9 million annual guests. Originally opened in 1916 as a shipping and recreation facility, this Chicago landmark showcases more than 50 acres of parks, restaurants, attractions, retail shops, sightseeing and dining cruise boats, exposition facilities, and more. The Pier celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016 with the unveiling of the iconic Centennial Wheel, Polk Bros Park, Family Pavilion, and Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion. Today, Navy Pier continues to usher in its second century with ongoing Pier-wide redevelopment efforts—including Sable, a 223-room Hilton hotel, new restaurant and retail partnerships, and thrilling new attractions such as Flyover Chicago and Illuminarium. The Pier is proud to present free, year-round cultural programming designed to inspire, educate, and connect communities across the city and globe. Click here to donate to Navy Pier, a mission-driven 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit navypier.org.

ABOUT OUR DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION PARTNERS

EDGEWATER RESOURCES

Edgewater Resources is a full-service design, planning, and engineering consultancy specializing in marinas and waterfronts across the United States and around the world. Our team provides expertise in coastal and marine engineering, architecture, and landscape architecture, with experience gained through the design of hundreds of marinas.

J.F. BRENNAN 

J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan) is a family-owned marine construction and environmental restoration contractor serving the inland and coastal waters of the United States. For more than 100 years, we have worked closely with clients, engineers, and stakeholders to execute cost-effective solutions to water-based infrastructure challenges.

As a provider of both above- and below-water construction services, we deliver innovative solutions to complex marine projects. Safety, quality, and environmental management are long-standing principles within our company, and we have the certifications to prove it. Furthermore, our clients rate us highly on trust and collaboration because at Brennan, we believe that success is based not only on the outcome of the project but on the journey through which the outcome is achieved.

S.I. CONTAINER BUILDS

S.I. Container Builds is a Chicago-based, woman-owned, modular, steel-framed construction company with a mission to build for communities in a more sustainable and thoughtful way. We passionately conduct our business through collaborations, conservation, and communication and make sure to affiliate with like-minded organizations. This allows us to uphold our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) values. We are committed to building faster, efficient structures that support both the gap in residential and commercial needs in the Chicago area and beyond.

S.I. Container Builds collaborates with Town Studios, Inc for sustainable design and architecture. Town Studios has been providing Chicagoland with custom architecture and construction management since 1985.  Their small, dedicated staff ensure attention to detail, thoughtful design, and a comfortable customer experience through every phase of the project.

STRUCTURMARINE

For decades, Structurmarine has been a recognized leader in the design and manufacturing of high-quality aluminum floating infrastructure, serving residential, commercial, and institutional sectors.

Renowned for its engineering expertise and unwavering commitment to safety and performance in challenging environments, Structurmarine collaborates globally, leveraging local expertise and best practices to deliver adaptable, sustainable solutions that meet the needs of diverse ecosystems and communities.

MARINA ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT