Breakwater Chicago was a proposed vessel being designed as a part island, part yacht resort, situated on Lake Michigan in the United States, floating about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) off Chicago's shore line.[1]

Breakwater Chicago
Company typeHospitality
HeadquartersLake Michigan, Chicago
Websitewww.breakwaterchicago.com

The proposed Breakwater Chicago vessel was to be about the size of an American football field, approximately 300 by 100 feet (91 by 30 m),[2] and was planned to include sun-decks, restaurants, a large swimming pool, and shops.[3]

Development

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The concept for Breakwater Chicago was developed by local entrepreneur Beau D'Arcy. The architect of record for the design of the vessel is Chicago-based firm Space Architects + Planners.[4] As of June 2014, the entire project was estimated to cost about $23 million, equivalent to $29.6 million in 2023.[5][6] Water taxis would have taken people to the resort, and people would also be able to dock boats at 30 slips.[7] The vessel would have had a capacity of 2,850 people,[8] and would have been moored on the lake with an anchoring system called "spuds" resting on top of the lake-bed[9] that could have been pulled up in case of a weather emergency so the vessel could be moved to another location.[10]

As of June 2014, the project was in its design phase with construction planned for the summer of 2015. The project was announced to the public on June 9, 2014, alongside a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, which raised more than $60,000 in donations from local supporters in the first month.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lavars, Nick (June 11, 2014). "Breakwater floating island promises off-shore luxury for Chicago". Gizmag.
  2. ^ Bell, Jon (January 21, 2015). "Lake Michigan's $23-million Football Field-Sized Party Barge". Drive the District. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015.
  3. ^ Sweeney, Brigid (June 10, 2014). "Next stop for fun: A pool-equipped barge on Lake Michigan?". Crain's Chicago Business.
  4. ^ Bentley, Chris (June 10, 2014). "Ahoy! Chicago Entrepreneur Wants to Park a Floating Pool in Lake Michigan". Architect's Newspaper.
  5. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Dallke, Jim (June 17, 2014). "Breakwater Chicago, the Proposed Floating Island on Lake Michigan, is Crushing its Kickstarter Goal". ChicagoInno.
  7. ^ Guy, Sandra (June 9, 2014). "Why a floating resort could be the next Navy Pier". Voices. Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015.
  8. ^ LaTrace, A. J. (June 10, 2014). "Floating Las Vegas Style Resort Pitched For Lake Michigan". Curbed Chicago.
  9. ^ "Breakwater Chicago: luxury yacht meets island resort". Kickstarter. June 10, 2014.
  10. ^ Dallke, Jim (December 5, 2014). "15 Chicago Startups to Watch in 2015". ChicagoInno.
  11. ^ Manchir, Michelle (June 17, 2014). "Crowdfunding for Proposed Breakwater Chicago Complex Exceeds Goal". Chicago Tribune.