Jackson Park in the South Side of Chicago, United States. A massive eight-story stone building has risen in the historic, large urban park that hosted the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. From the sky room at the top of the tower, the waves of Lake Michigan encircling Chicago and the city's skyline come into full view. It is neither a typical university campus nor a municipal art museum. It is the Obama Presidential Center, which former U.S. President Barack Obama built to display his political legacy for future generations.
On the 4th (local time), the Obama Foundation said it will officially open the Obama Presidential Center (Obama Center) on the 19th at Jackson Park to coincide with Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. The total project cost comes to about $850 million (about 1.3022 trillion won). In nominal terms, it is the largest among U.S. presidential commemorative facilities. It far surpasses the previous highs of the George W. Bush Center (about $654 million) and the Bill Clinton Center (about $165 million). The initial estimated cost was $350 million, but it more than doubled.
According to major media reports the same day, the new Obama Center brings together on a 78,100-square-meter (about 23,000-pyeong) site an eight-story museum tower, a Chicago Public Library branch, community event spaces, gardens, and a National Basketball Association (NBA)-regulation basketball court. Across the campus, 28 site-specific artworks have been newly installed.
The Obama Center originated from the U.S. Presidential Library system. Despite the name, a presidential library is not a general public library that lends books. It is closer to an archives-cum-museum that preserves and exhibits policy documents produced at the White House during the term, campaign materials, diplomatic photos, speech videos, and gifts received from world leaders. At the same time, it is a space that determines how a former president's governance will be assessed historically.
The starting point of presidential libraries was former President Franklin Roosevelt building a library on his private property in 1941 and donating it to the federal government. Over time, a model was institutionalized in which construction costs for presidential libraries are covered by private donations and, once completed, they are turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the U.S. federal records agency, to be operated with government funds. As a result, the John F. Kennedy Library has grown into a national memorial facility, the Ronald Reagan Library into a tourist destination exhibiting Air Force One, and the Bill Clinton Center into a hub for downtown redevelopment.
The Obama Foundation will handle exhibitions and operations of the Obama Center. Outdoor spaces will be open free of charge, and the museum will use a paid, timed-entry system. Adult admission is set at $30 (about 46,000 won), which is on the high side for presidential museums. Exhibits include designer outfits worn by former First Lady Michelle Obama, records from the 2008 presidential campaign, and a space that faithfully recreates the Oval Office. AP projected 600,000 paying museum visitors annually and up to 1 million visitors to the free campus. Architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien said, "We thought of this building as a space that would last 500 years," adding, "We made every decision to convey a sense of permanence and timelessness."
The Obama Foundation said it covered the $850 million project cost with private donations. Major donors included former Microsoft (MS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and NBA LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his spouse, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation established by former MS founder Bill Gates. Although it is a presidential memorial, its actual funding relied substantially on America's big tech tycoons, large philanthropic foundations, and corporate sponsorship networks.
Despite the foundation's explanation that it was built with private donations, controversy has persisted that an unprecedented amount of public expense went into constructing the center. While the building itself was raised with donations, critics say taxes were used to upgrade surrounding roads, parks, and transportation networks to accommodate a massive number of visitors. Chicago public broadcaster WBEZ reported that the Chicago Department of Transportation spent $123.3 million (about 190 billion won) on improving nearby road greenspaces, and that total public infrastructure spending could approach $200 million (about 309 billion won).
The project also faced lawsuits from environmental groups after hundreds of trees were cut and a garden created in 1937 was removed. Concerns about gentrification pushing out local residents followed. Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett told CNN, "We held thousands of community meetings so the center would blend into the city's fabric and so nearby residents would feel a sense of ownership and take part in the development."
The structure of building with private donations while relying on public spaces and infrastructure is not unique to the Obama Center. It follows other former and sitting presidents who use the same system. True to a background as a businessman seasoned in real estate development, President Trump is considering a commemorative center linked to commercial facilities. Trump directly noted that his commemorative center is likely to take the form of a hotel. A plan being discussed would involve receiving public land from Miami Dade College and developing it directly. However, according to Reuters, residents of the relevant area in Miami have filed suit, arguing that transferring public land valued at more than an estimated $300 million to the president and his family confers unconstitutional benefits, suggesting difficulties ahead in securing a stable site.