Navy Pier has selected the five teams that will bid for a contract to redesign some of its public spaces.
The organization wants to renovate the 95-year-old lakefront icon as part of a $155 million rehabilitation project.
Some of the areas to be redesigned include Gateway Park at the pier's west entrance, Crystal Gardens and Pier Park.
"Our goal is for Navy Pier to be a year round, world class, leisure destination," said Marilyn Gardner, Navy Pier general manager, when the project was launched in June. "The intent of this program is to create a nightlife and a wintertime life here."
Finalists will each receive a $50,000 stipend to prepare designs due on Jan. 24. An exhibition of the designs will open Feb. 2. The public will have the chance to view the proposals before the announcement of the winning team.
Navy Pier will announce the winning team, which will include architects, landscapers and other designers, in February.
