Barack Obama Presidential Center
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. The center will also include community and conference facilities and will house the nonprofit Obama Foundation. Construction on the 19.3 acre campus is expected to top out in April 2024, and the center to open in the first half of 2026.
| Barack Obama Presidential Center | |
|---|---|
Logo of the Obama Foundation, the non-profit organization that is overseeing the construction of the Barack Obama Presidential Center | |
Viewed from Solstice on the Park, September 2023 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Jackson Park, Chicago, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 41°46′57″N 87°35′08″W |
| Named for | Barack Obama |
| Construction started | August 16, 2021 |
| Inaugurated | Spring 2026 (planned) |
| Cost | $482 million |
| Management | Valerie Jarrett, CEO |
| 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 | CTA ME |
| Website | |
| www | |
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. 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.
The center is located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago, adjacent to the University of Chicago campus. The university provides planning, support, engagement and programming. Included within the center's plans is a new branch for the Chicago Public Library.
Federal review ended in December 2020, with final completion in 2021. Construction began in August 2021 and the Center is expected to open in the first half of 2026.