Chicago got its first look at the proposed design of the Lucas Museum last week, via some renderings that brought to mind Space Mountain or a Kamino clone facility (it depends who you ask). Today, the city released plans for the Eleanor Boathouse in Bridgeport, a building that is sure to be less controversial than George Lucas's lakefront Star Wars shrine.
Designed by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang and her firm Studio Gang Architects, the 19,003-square-foot boathouse will include storage space for rowing shells, a training facility for rowers and a boat launch on the Chicago River. The state and the Chicago Park District will work to together to fund the $5.7 million project.
If the Eleanor Boathouse's sharp angles and undulating roof look familiar, that's because they echo the design of the WMS Boathouse in Clark Park, which was also designed by Studio Gang. The city did not provide an opening date for the new boathouse, though it previously estimated that the facility would open sometime in 2015.
A new boathouse is great news for boaters, but it doesn't change the fact that the body of water it serves is chiefly comprised of treated sewage—up to 70% according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. It might make more sense to pour $5.7 million into efforts to clean the Chicago River up before encouraging people to paddle out into it.