In a city with an iconic skyline, the Obama presidential museum aims to
reshape Chicago architecture
[May 30, 2026]
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO (AP) — The granite monolith soars above a leafy stretch of
Chicago’s South Side, a nearly windowless exterior more suited to a
sci-fi film set than the state-of-the art presidential museum held
within.
Crews are putting the finishing touches on the Obama Presidential Center
ahead of the official public opening on Juneteenth, more than a decade
after the site was chosen. But the design of the roughly $850 million
campus — particularly the conspicuous 225-foot high rise at its north
end — still divides the city celebrated as the birthplace of the modern
skyscraper.
For some, it’s a jarring choice in Barack Obama’s hometown after a
grueling battle over its location in a lakefront park where classical
style buildings are more common. To others, it’s a bold addition that
will shape Chicago’s iconic skyline for decades to come.
Residents have compared it to a grain elevator, ship from “Star Wars”
and a mausoleum.
“It doesn’t fit in at all,” said Brenda Nelms, who has lived in the area
since the 1970s and leads a group that advocates for nearby Jackson
Park, which spans more than 500 acres.
Leaders of the Obama Foundation, which has raised private funds, say
they’ve heard it all. They enlisted “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill for
cheeky promotional videos on May the 4th, a day celebrated by fans of
the movie franchise.
“Part of the joy of the center is everyone is going to have their unique
experience,” said Valerie Jarrett, foundation CEO and a former Obama
advisor. “The design of the building was intended to be inviting and
opening to people whether they live across the street or around the
world.”
Chicago’s architecture is ‘spectator sport’
The bar for architectural design is high in Chicago, from Louis
Sullivan’s modern skyscrapers after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to
Helmut Jahn’s post-modern office buildings.
Discourse around design is so fierce in the nation’s third-largest city
that Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey calls it “a spectator
sport.” His initial impression of the Obama Presidential Center was that
it looked more suited to a cemetery.
The striking design has few windows, all selectively placed. Foundation
officials say that decision also helps protect the artifacts inside from
sunlight, including an Oval Office replica.
Bey said the museum design makes more sense in context with the other
low-lying buildings on the campus, which includes a basketball court,
children’s playground, public library branch and works by prominent
artists.
Mixed public response has greeted other renown Chicago buildings, he
said. The former John Hancock Center, a black 100-story building marked
by giant X’s, was compared to an oil rig soon after it was built in the
1960s. Renamed 875 North Michigan Avenue in recent years for its
address, the building houses stores, condos and offices.
“As we begin to experience buildings, we begin to imprint our own
impressions,” Bey said. “The John Hancock becomes less of an oil derrick
and more of the building that has your doctor’s office.”
Edward Keegan, a Chicago Tribune architecture columnist, has called the
presidential museum “an un-Chicago building” because of the few windows
and unusual shape. Still, it offers a unique perspective of the city.
Atop the building is a glass-enclosed “Sky Room,” with panoramic views
of Chicago, including north-facing perspectives of downtown, which are
uncommon from that height.
“It doesn’t feel like any other place in Chicago,” he said. “It does
feel unique and unexpected.”
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The Obama Presidential Center is seen Thursday, April 9, 2026, in
Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
After fights over the location, some worry about future
The road to the museum was bumpy, even though support for Obama has
remained vigorous in the Democratic stronghold.
Lawsuits to stop construction started after its location was
announced in 2015. Concerns about displacement of low-income and
Black residents living in pockets near the museum grew. Community
groups lobbied for housing protections, but area residents say they
don’t go far enough as prices for homes near the museum have soared.
Construction of the museum involved tearing up nearly 20 acres of
park land and scrapping a section of major thoroughfare, which
residents say was critical to connect residents from other parts of
the city and suburbs with downtown.
On a recent walk through a bird sanctuary near the center, activist
Robin Kaufman, 82, said she couldn't fully enjoy the wildflowers by
the secluded ponds as she once did. She watched as ducks paddled
through a lagoon but couldn't ignore the center's tower poking out
above the tree line.
“Everywhere I go, you can see it, so you’re reminded of what’s going
on and that’s distressing,” she said. “I’m very distrustful of
anything they say.”
She and others have anxiety about what else might come to the area
because of Obama's presidential center.
“It’s a Trojan horse,” said Shannon Bennett with the Kenwood Oakland
Community Organization. “It’s an extreme version of a scheme to
transform these communities for another population.”
Obama advisor says facility outweighs costs
Several design choices were made by the former president with New
York-based architects, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. Obama chose a
stone design and wanted a high tower for city views not far from
where he raised his family and taught law at the University of
Chicago.
The tower’s design is meant to depict four hands coming together in
solidarity. Wrapped around one side are 5-foot concrete capital
letters, an excerpt of Obama’s 2015 speech commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march. It begins, “You are
America.”
The Obama Foundation said they have widened some roads, added a new
field to the area that local schools use and the campus has a new
public library branch, basketball gym for community use, a
playground and gardens that have been landscaped to blend in with
the park around it.
“The benefit of having this extraordinary facility far outweighs any
costs,” Jarrett said. “It’s a symbol to the community of how
important they are to us.”
Adam Rubin at the Chicago Architecture Center called it a successful
project so far, but added that questions linger about whether the
tradeoff of park land for the center was worth it.
“It really does have a sense of place,” he said of the museum. “Time
will tell how people utilize it.”
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