Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago with $850 million campus
Why it matters: The 19-acre South Side site is designed to shape new civic leaders long after Barack Obama left office.
The Obama Presidential Center is set to open Friday in Chicago’s Jackson Park, marking the public debut of an $850 million campus built to house Barack Obama’s presidential legacy and expand civic programming on the South Side. The 19-acre site includes a four-story museum, offices for the Obama Foundation, an auditorium, athletic facilities, public art, 3.7 acres of parkland and a new Chicago Public Library branch. In an ABC interview, Barack and Michelle Obama tied the project to their push to encourage a new generation of leaders. Developed with the National Archives and Records Administration, the presidential archives at the center are fully digital.