The Barack Obama Presidential Center, currently under construction in Jackson Park on the South side of Chicago, will be a "new take" on the customary Presidential Library.
The Museum and the Library will be headed by the nonprofit Obama Foundation with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) tasked with creating the very first digitized Presidential Library.
Instead of one building housing both a Presidential Museum and an archived hard copy Research Library, the site is designed to be a community gathering place and civic center consisting of a complex of four separate buildings with different functions, situated in a park-like setting.
 |
| Obama Presidential Center Artist's Rendering |
After years of protracted delays due to several factors, including concerns of residents of the surrounding residential area and also increased budgetary considerations leading to an estimated $830-million cost, the groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 28, 2021, and construction began.
On the site will also be a branch of the Chicago Public Library serving the residents of Chicago's South Side, as well as a Community Activity Center. Landscaping will include walking paths, a long pedestrian promenade connecting the four main buildings, lagoons, and a sledding hill. It is anticipated that the Plaza area will host public gatherings and be a venue for cultural arts performances and the display of public art projects.
The Museum building, designed by architects Todd Williams and Billie Tsien, embodies the concept of ascension upward from grassroots. Its form is inspired by the idea of four hands coming together symbolizing the many hands it takes to shape a place.
At the current time, as construction continues in its second year, the focus is on the casting and building of the perimeter walls of the Museum.
Completion of the entire project is anticipated to be in 2026.
=======================================
(Primary Source: obama.org)
©2022 Snobby Tours®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
