Spoke

Spoke is a transit-oriented, mixed-use development located in Chicago’s River West neighborhood. Built on the site that was once home to Gonella Baking Company, Spoke consists of two luxury residential towers connected by a sprawling rooftop amenity deck and 10,000 square feet of ground-level retail space.

Despite Spoke’s unique dual-tower design over an entire city block, EEA civil engineers determined that it would be possible to maintain single finished floor elevation throughout each building. This proved extremely beneficial to the property owner by allowing for greater flexibility of retail tenant space.

EEA created a stormwater management plan to effectively capitalize on the existing drainage infrastructure found on the urban project site.  Using two drainage outfalls already on the site, our team split the flows from the development, easing the impact of water flow into Chicago’s sewers, reducing the overall volume retention requirements. Installing an underground StormTrap® system provided an economical centralized water detention system.

Designing vehicle access to Spoke’s parking garage and a neighboring single-unit ADA townhome garage required an intricate design. Subtle and complex elevations to the ADA garage off of North Morgan ensured proper maneuverability and drainage within the tight footprint.

New sidewalks were installed around the perimeter of the building and a plaza of stamped concrete runs between the two buildings acting as a gateway to the community.

The redevelopment of the site required repaving of the four major roads surrounding Spoke: West Chicago Avenue, North Milwaukee Avenue, North Morgan Street, and North Carpenter Street. EEA engineers successfully coordinated the paving projects with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and other permitting agencies ensure minimal impacts on traffic flow and pedestrians in the area.

Photography courtesy of FitzGerald Associates Architects.