With every President comes a Presidential Library and leave it to the Bestest Greatest President ever to go above and beyond and not only create a Library but a “Center.” Back in February former President Barack Obama announced to build his Presidential “Center” in his embraced hometown of Chicago. Obama set his eyes on Jackson Park on Chicago’s south-side. Obama explained how he met a girl, married that girl and started a family on the Southside. Then went on to start his political career, and become president because of the South side so it was only right that his Center be built on the……..South side. He not only has support from the Mayor of Chicago and the University of Chicago, but also million dollar donations from Shonda Rhimes, Ford, George Lucas and Goldman Sachs just to name a few.
The Center is to host and multitude of different spaces and amenities. A 235-foot-high, eight-story main building will house a Museum, which will house exhibitions about the Obamas in the context of civil rights, African-American, local, and national history. A two story event space with winter garden and a restaurant will host such events Obama Summit; A two story Athletic Center that will host classes;, and of course the a two story Library, that will house sans archives, and maybe even a branch of the Chicago Public Library. Outside, these three building a paved plaza large enough for performances, and surrounded on their park sides by a playground, a bowl-shaped lawn and sledding hill, winding paths, and a garden.
With though all this awesomeness is being proposed, the project is being hit with resistance. Protesters are posing questions about gentrification, jobs, equity (not sure about the complaint is about equity). This would be so great if it actually came to fruition and would drastically change the aesthetics of what a Presidential Library is and how they can begin to benefit the communities they are built in.
SouthLA 