Obamas In Chicago Tuesday To Break Ground On Presidential Center

CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will be in Chicago Tuesday to officially break ground on the Obama Presidential Center.

Construction on the center began in Jackson Park in August, but the celebrations will not include the Obama Presidential Library, which has sparked criticism from community members on the South Side.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot will join Obama for the ceremony Tuesday, which will include some Obama alumni from Chicago, where the former president's political career started.

Obama said he chose to locate the center in Jackson Park in order to spark a South Side economic revival, but federal litigation is pending on whether he can build the center in a landmarked park, taking away some green space from the surrounding neighborhood.

The center will span around 19 acres in Jackson Park and is estimated will take about four years to build. Overall, the center will cost $830 million, a smaller price tag than if the center housed the Presidential Library, which has expensive size and security requirements.

The complex's design includes a museum tower, athletic center, restaurant, auditorium, recording studios and a Chicago Public Library branch.

Then-President Obama also considered nearby Washington Park for the library's location, which is not an historic landmark.