Overview
- Barack Obama and the Obama Foundation announced the center will open in spring 2026 and released new virtual previews of the site.
- The 19-acre South Side campus features a 225-foot granite museum tower, a forum with a 299-seat auditorium, a Chicago Public Library branch, gardens and an NBA-size court.
- The museum plans include four floors of exhibits, a Sky Room, and major artworks such as an 83-foot glass installation by Julie Mehretu, with an outdoor water terrace by artist Maya Lin.
- The project is privately funded at about $850 million and operated by the Obama Foundation rather than NARA, with presidential records to be digitized rather than housed on-site.
- The site sits on public parkland under a 99-year lease; a lawsuit over the location was dismissed, local concerns about gentrification persist, and the design has drawn online ridicule including a jab from Sen. Ted Cruz.