‘Unsound’ Winnetka pier shut down; Council to discuss in March

The pier at Winnetka’s Tower Road Beach is closed indefinitely, as town officials review how to safely reopen the structure.

The Village closed the pier on Jan. 27 after safety concerns were discovered during a “structural analysis” of the pier by consultant Baird & Associates, a firm the Village commissioned, according to an email response from Josie Clark, the village’s communications manager.

According to the Village email, the structure is “unsound due to erosion beneath the pier and damage to the pier’s sheet piling (retaining wall).”

A report from Baird & Associates’ analysis is expected by the end of February, and the Village Council plans to review the report in March, Clark wrote.

The pier off Tower Road Beach, near the site of the Village’s water plant, was first constructed in 1900 and further developed through 1939.

The pier is connected to Tower Road Beach and features several parking spots and an overlook.

The Village says the pier last underwent structural repairs in 2022, while surface repairs were made in 2023.

More fixes have been on the Village’s wish list; however, Clark said in an email, the Village was unsuccessful in its attempts to gain grant funding hired Baird & Associates this year to move forward with “necessary repairs.”

Baird’s review of the pier resulted in the safety concerns that shut it down.

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