By Brock Morgan
Medill Reports
The Obama Presidential Center is set to become a major destination on Chicago’s South Side, blending a traditional presidential museum with community-focused spaces such as a basketball court, playground and nature trail. Officials say they expect roughly 600,000 museum visitors annually and that the center was designed to bring people together through exploration, learning and shared experiences.
Beyond preserving the legacy of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, the center aims to inspire future generations. Leaders say its impact extends beyond tourism and economic development, highlighting the center’s role in creating jobs, uplifting the surrounding community and encouraging young visitors to see new possibilities for their own futures.
Transcript:
BROCK MORGAN: This is Barack Obama’s presidential library. The center is home to a basketball court, playground and nature trail. The center is not yet open, but select few members of the press have been invited to speak with officials.
JOHN ROBERSON, executive vice president of the Obama Center: There is no presidential center that has this type of presentation. And so we anticipate that, you know, we’re probably going to see about 600,000 people a year. That’s just the museum.
MORGAN: Center officials expect a big crowd and hope visitors will unite.
EMILY BITTNER, vice president of communications for the Obama Center: When people come here, they will experience the joy of being together. They will experience curiosity. They will experience this desire to see and explore.
MORGAN: The campus is home to several structures, is tallest building at 225 feet. Despite its girth, key design choices were made with the community in mind.
RENAULD MITCHELL, Moody Nolan architecture firm: We wanted the scale of this building to be a good neighbor to the surrounding community and not dwarf the neighborhood. And so the height of the roof and even down to some of the angles that we created in the design were all geared towards preserving a respect for the neighboring community from the scale perspective.
MORGAN: The center created 5,000 new jobs and aims to inspire the masses, but there is an emphasis placed on the youth.
ROBERSON: Some young child is going to come into this space and realize that a young girl who grew up in South Shore on the South Side of Chicago ultimately became the first lady. That can be you. You have the ability to be the next president.
MORGAN: Tickets for the center’s opening weekend on Juneteenth have already sold out. The center is free on Tuesdays, but those spots are booked until at least October. I’m Brock Morgan in Chicago, Medill Reports.
Brock Morgan is a sports media specialization graduate student at Medill.