The closing of the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier this weekend was a sensory salutation to a Chicago icon: Cameras flashed, laughter was heard from blocks away, faces smiles and terrified passengers squinted behind hands pressed over their eyes as each red gondola reached the top.
Many Chicago locals and tourists lined up to admire the wheel on its closing weekend and take the last ride Sunday before the wheel was obliterated Monday. But it was not a final goodbye. A new and improved Ferris wheel will open summer 2016.
The new wheel will accommodate 180 more passengers per ride, said Navy Pier spokesman Nick Shields in a press release.
“The wheel will almost be 50 feet taller than the original, making it almost 200 feet tall, and there will be heating and air conditioning in each gondola so it will be comfortable to ride during all four seasons,” Chris Matthews, a Navy Pier Ferris wheel operator and VIP guest escort for the final rides, said. “Passengers will be able to play their own music and the spokes on the wheel will light up for special events and occasions like Breast Cancer Awareness and St. Patrick’s Day.”
Meanwhile, many memories were made on the last rides of the old Ferris wheel, which opened in 1995. Some visitors celebrated the Ferris wheel, while others were left wondering if the new wheel will be as valued as the original.
Stacy Sturma, a mother of two, visited the Ferris wheel Saturday from Indiana in hopes to share something special with her daughters.
“I believe it is iconic — everyone recognizes the Navy Pier Ferris wheel,” Sturma said. “It is the most unique view of the Chicago skyline. I wanted my children to experience the same Ferris wheel my parents and other relatives experienced.”
Jane Maldonado, of Chicago, was one of the last to ride the wheel with her friends. She said dusk was her favorite time to ride.
“Either night or day time on a clear day, or really when the sun’s going down,” Maldonado said.
Mark Teske, a visitor from Kankakee, Ill., tried to ride the wheel a final time, but was not able to get aboard. Navy Pier employees started to announce over the Pier’s speaker system that there would be no more tickets sold around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
“The tickets already sold out tonight,” he said. “But I have ridden it in the past. My favorite time to ride the wheel is at night so you can see all of the buildings.”
But while many reminisced, DePaul student Amanda Major, originally from California, also looked to the future.
“Whenever I used to look up pictures of Chicago, the Ferris wheel always came up,” she said. “I remember my first time on it, too. It honestly reminds me of Chicago. It’s part of life here. I hope that what they build will be able to live up to the name.”