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City Building $8.5 Million Boathouse In Bridgeport

CHICAGO (CBS) -- City officials broke ground Sunday on a new boathouse in the Bridgeport neighborhood.

The boathouse, designed by award-winning Chicago architect Jeanne Gang, is the fourth boathouse along the Chicago River, in addition to facilities in Chinatown, Roscoe Village, and Ravenswood.

The 19,000-square-foot $8.5 million Eleanor Boathouse will be built at 2804-72 S. Eleanor St.

Incoming University of Chicago senior Leah Von Essen is on the rowing team, and said the new South Side facility will be a huge asset.

"The main building of the boathouse is mainly for storage of boats and oars, and you can kind of meet up in there as a team, also, so if there's bad weather, you can meet up in the boathouse," she said.

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Teammate Cindy Avila said having a boathouse for the North Side will make rowers feel connected to the other three boathouses.

"It makes it feel not like this is just one area, one rowing center. It makes you really feel like you have a huge community here in Chicago," she said.

Avila joined the University of Chicago crew team last year.

"For me, as a Chicagoan, but also as someone who just got into rowing, it's important to know that once I leave UChicago, I can still stay in Chicago, and row at these sites," she said.

Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2016.

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