Report: Chicago’s Historic Jackson Park Neighborhood Selected For Site of Obama Library, Formal Announcement Expected Next Week

UPDATE July 29, 2016 President Obama Formally Announces that Chicago’s Jackson Park Neighborhood Will Be Location of Presidential Library

Note: Along with being close to the University of Chicago, the Jackson Park neighborhood is also home to one of the city’s most famous attractions and resources, the Museum of Science and Industry. The area was also home to the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

From The Chicago Tribune:

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have selected historic Jackson Park, just east of the University of Chicago, as the site for the Obama Presidential Center, a source confirmed Wednesday. A formal announcement is expected next week.

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Located near the Museum of Science and Industry, the lakefront and the eastern edge of the University of Chicago campus, the site allows for the creation of a museum campus in the heart of the park, accented by an existing lagoon, lush woods and greenery. The winding 543-acre park is an oasis on the South Side. The center would be a short hop to either Lake Shore Drive or to two Metra train stations, strong pulls for visitors.

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The National Archives and Records Administration operates and maintains presidential libraries. The Obama Foundation must provide NARA with an endowment equal to 60 percent of the cost of building the facility to help cover those future expenses.

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Construction is not expected to start until well after Obama leaves office in January. The foundation still must raise hundreds of millions of dollars. And the design process could take up to two years. The aim is to finish the project by 2021.

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