The new Eleanor Boathouse at Park 571 in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood creates the opportunity for greater community recreation and environmental stewardship of the Chicago River. Designed by Studio Gang Architects, the 19,000-square-foot facility is the last of four new boathouses and river launches created by the Chicago Park District to reclaim the Chicago River as a major system of parks and water-based recreation.
The unique form of the two-building boathouse reflects the movement of rowing, according to Studio Gang’s founding principal Jeanne Gang. The design, incorporating alternating roof trusses, was influenced by studying the rhythm and motion of rowing. “The Chicago River boathouses are part of a new environmentally friendly vision for the city’s river,” said Gang. “By making the riverfront a destination for recreation, anchored by dynamic sustainable architecture, we hope to catalyze long-term stewardship and support of the river’s remediation.”