December 2016
New Boathouse Completed Along The Chicago River
Chicago, IL – City officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a new $8.8 million boathouse in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood – unofficially known as the Eleanor Boathouse. Walsh Construction delivered this 19,000-square-foot, one-story building on a three acre site along the South Branch of the Chicago River.
The uniquely-designed boathouse is divided into two buildings, a 5,800 SF rowing training facility and a 13,000-square-foot boat storage building. A splintered walkway connects the buildings, representative of the branches of the Chicago River. The training facility is equipped with 50 rowing machines and boasts ceilings that imitate the motion of rowing. The boat storage building provides lockers and storage bays for more than 60 boats and a heated repair bay.
The new facility will serve as a community resource, and expose residents to the sport of rowing. Classes will be held to teach the sport, and the space will double as a field house to provide local residents with wellness classes and day camp programs.