Barack Obama Presidential Center
| Barack Obama Presidential Center | |
|---|---|
Logo of the Obama Foundation, the non-profit organization that is overseeing the construction of the Barack Obama Presidential Center | |
April 2025 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Jackson Park, Chicago, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 41°46′57″N 87°35′08″W / 41.78250°N 87.58556°W |
| Named for | Barack Obama |
| Construction started | August 16, 2021[1] |
| Inaugurated | Spring 2026 (planned) |
| Cost | $482 million[1] |
| Management | Valerie Jarrett (CEO) Kenvi Phillips (director) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, and Interactive Design Architects: Landscape architect: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Site Design Group, and Living Habitats |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access | 59th Street/University of Chicago CTA |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Barack Obama Presidential Center is a planned museum, library, and education project in Chicago to commemorate the presidency of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.[2][3] The center will also include community and conference facilities and will house the nonprofit Obama Foundation. Construction on the 19.3-acre (7.8 ha) campus began in 2021, the tower topped out in mid-2024, and the center is expected to open in the first half of 2026.[4][5][6]
The center's work includes digitizing the Barack Obama Presidential Library with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), to create the first fully digitized presidential library.[2] The Library is administered by NARA, which will preserve hardcopies of documents at a separate NARA facility; however, many will be loaned to the Presidential Center for display.[2]
The center is located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago, adjacent to the University of Chicago campus.[7] The university provides planning, support, engagement and programming.[8] Included within the center's plans is a new branch for the Chicago Public Library.[9]
Federal review ended in December 2020, with final completion in 2021.[10][11] Construction began in August 2021.[1][12]
- ^ a b c Sweet, Lynn (August 16, 2021). "Obama Presidential Center costs detailed as groundbreaking takes place at Jackson Park". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c drupal (October 20, 2016). "About Us". Barack Obama Presidential Library. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ "The Obama Presidential Center". Barack Obama Foundation.org. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sfondleswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Obama Center gets skin in the game with fancy new granite cladding on its tower". Chicago Sun-Times. April 17, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Quig, A.D. (March 8, 2024). "Obama Presidential Center opening pushed from late 2025 to 2026". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Obama Foundation Announces Jackson Park as Site of the Obama Presidential Center" (Press release). Obama.org. July 29, 2016. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ "FAQ on Obama Presidential Library". UChicago News. January 31, 2014. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ Bowean, Lolly (May 2, 2018). "Obama Foundation announces new public library branch". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ Yin, Alice (December 18, 2020). "Long-running federal review into Obama center concludes, groundbreaking tentatively set for 2021". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Cherone, Heather (February 4, 2021). "Feds Give Obama Presidential Center Green Light After 4-Year Review". WTTW News. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Cherone, Heather (March 7, 2024). "Opening of Obama Presidential Center Delayed, Again, Until Spring 2026". WTTW. Retrieved March 9, 2024.