Convention goers took the day’s theme “Celebrate” seriously Friday night as they enjoyed food, drink, and music at the AIA Chicago Host Chapter Party at the Navy Pier. The cuisine took attendees from the South Side to the Far East and back again: From Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza, barbequed ribs, and hot dogs, to tandoori chicken, to Asian noodles, there was something to suit every palate.

The festivities kicked off at 7 p.m. with a Welcome Wine sponsored by Lohan Caprile Goettsch Archtiects, OWP/P, and Skidmore Owings and Merrill, followed by a fireboat welcome. The evening continued in the Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom with several dinner buffets organized around neighborhood foods. Under the 80-foot domed ceiling, guests danced to pop music by Malik’s Ultimate Vocal Group and, on the patio, attendees enjoyed a variety of blues and jazz performances.
The evening ended with a bang: fabulous fireworks over Lake Michigan to mark the end of a wonderful celebration.

Just a little history
Navy Pier ranks as one of Chicago's most enduring landmarks. After a spectacular transformation, it emerged in July of 1995 as a multimillion dollar convention, cultural, and recreational center. It is now the state's most visited attraction.

Navy Pier resulted from Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan for Chicago. Built in 1916, the Pier was unique because it served Lake Michigan freighters and did double duty as a public recreation facility and meeting place. But after the depression, the U.S. Navy took over the entire facility in 1941. In late 1946, the University of Illinois established a Chicago campus at the site. The Pier fell into disrepair in the ’70s and early ‘80s when the school relocated. Soon, state and city officials collaborated to save the pier and a new operating authority guided the redesign of Navy Pier into a unique exposition and recreational facility. By 1995, the architecture team of VOA Associates, Chicago, and Benjamin Thompson Associates, Cambridge, Mass., had transformed the site into a convention, cultural, and recreational center.

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