After 5 years, Obamas break ground on Presidential Center
Source: AP
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO (AP) After five years of legal battles, gentrification concerns and a federal review, Barack and Michelle Obama dug shovels into the ground Tuesday during a celebratory groundbreaking on their legacy project in a lakefront Chicago park.
Construction on the Obama Presidential Center along Lake Michigan, near the Obama family home and where the former president started his political career on Chicagos South Side, officially began last month.
Standing near an excavator and other heavy equipment, Obama described how the citys South Side shaped him, first as a community organizer, then as a husband, father and elected official. He said the center was one way of giving back and he hoped it would bring an economic boost to the area and inspire a future generation of leaders.
We want this center to be more than a static museum or a source of archival research. It wont just be a collection of campaign memorabilia or Michelles ballgowns, although I know everybody will come see those, he joked. It wont just be an exercise in nostalgia or looking backwards. We want to look forward.
Former President Barack Obama, left, and former first lady Michelle Obama toss shovels of dirt during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/chicago-lori-lightfoot-michelle-obama-illinois-lake-michigan-0e3e20be65d7ae1d4ffcfbc7277bb317
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)DownriverDem
(6,206 posts)When done, I just might visit. I'm about 5 hours away.
StevieM
(10,499 posts)I had recently read it would be done in 4 years, but apparently that timeline has been pushed back.
Submariner
(12,485 posts)Such a nice family. A true gentleman with a killer 3-point hoop shot from the right corner.
He could have accomplished so much more of what he wanted for us if he wasn't road blocked from all directions by that racist cracker moscow mitch.
BumRushDaShow
(127,329 posts)I knew it was coming up soon but wasn't sure of the date.
All I can say is YAY!!!
Here is a rendering of it -
And here is a video they put together a few years ago when they were designing it -
speak easy
(9,101 posts)BumRushDaShow
(127,329 posts)http://twbta.com/work/sort-by-type
https://interactivedesignarchitects.com/team/dina-griffin-aia-noma-iida/
The first one designed the Barnes Foundation museum here in Philly.
Based on your argument, the existence of any "Presidential Library" would qualify as "authoritarian".
MustLoveBeagles
(11,563 posts)This will be a beautiful library for the people everywhere.