The Obama Presidential Center – It’s Not a Library, It’s a Neighborhood
I recently had the chance to visit the Obama Presidential Center and it's not your typical presidential library, it's got a whole neighborhood vibe.
Presidential libraries in America can sometimes feel like a “greatest-hits” tour of a past president’s accomplishments and accolades. Typically, they are filled with rows of glass cases highlighting a president’s time in office. There seems to be a consistent theme once you have been to a few: part museum, part shrine, and here’s the story we want you to remember about this president.
National Public Radio's (NPR) article was right when they reported, “It isn’t a presidential library. It’s a campus with basketball courts, gardens, ball fields, a playground for kids, a Chicago Public Library branch, and an eight-story museum that towers over it all.”
The Obama Presidential Museum (or library) is only one part of the story.
7 Things To Know About the Obama Presidential Center
1. President Obama broke the mold of traditional presidential libraries.
Past presidential centers are typically run by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). That’s not the case with the Obama Center. It’s operated by the Obama Foundation.
There are no official presidential records in the Obama Library (those are digitized and held separately by NARA). The Foundation runs the museum, forum, and library branch itself. So, it’s really a private foundation-run center that partners with the NARA on the records side.
This doesn’t take anything away from the Obama Foundation’s initial goals that the center was framed around; it’s just a different way of operating the center.
2. The Obamas wanted to create a place to serve the community of Chicago’s South Side, not just visitors.
The Obama Center is more than just checking off another Presidential Library from your bucket list; it’s a place to gather, learn, reflect, and engage as a community.
The Obamas chose Jackson Park, hoping the campus would revitalize the historic park and serve as a hub for community events. President Obama put it personally by saying, “It’s not just a building. It’s not just a park. Hopefully, it's a hub where all of us can see a brighter future for the South Side.”
3. There is a lot of free public space on the 19-acre campus.
Most of the campus is free. The grounds are open to the public daily and free of charge. Only Obama’s Museum requires a ticket in advance. Illinois residents get in free every Tuesday.
4. There are 4 main buildings to visit.
The Obama Presidential Campus has 4 main buildings: a Library/Museum, a Forum, a Chicago Public Library branch, and the athletic facility “Home Court”.
All of these buildings are connected to the John Lewis Plaza at the heart of the campus.
Library/Museum: This is where the story is told and requires reservations and a fee.
Forum: Inside is an auditorium, classrooms, a restaurant, a café, and a community gathering space. This building is designed to host lectures on literature, journalism, and pop culture. It’s an essential part of the ongoing civic public dialogue for progress.
This is the place where President Obama’s dream of the center becoming a “living, working center for citizenship” is realized. It’s a place for people to gather, discuss, and engage in conversations about day-to-day life.
Chicago Public Library Branch: The Obamas put their own personal touch on this branch of the Chicago Library system. Inside the library is the Presidential Reading Room, home to more than 3,500 books personally meaningful to President and Mrs. Obama.
Home Court Athletic Facility: This 45,000-square-foot athletic facility is designed around two of President Obama’s personal passions: basketball and community building. It houses a regulation NBA basketball court with a mezzanine for viewing, fitness equipment, and spaces for banquets and large events.
5. The Museum tells a story and inspires.
The centerpiece of the campus is the museum. It’s expected to draw huge crowds of more than 1 million visitors each year.
At the center of it all are the words carved into the museum tower's exterior.
These words are from a passage of Obama’s 2015 speech at the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery March. The words are built around the idea that America belongs to “We the People”, “Yes We Can”, and “We Shall Overcome.” The words frame the country as unfinished and always able to be reframed by ordinary people.
The theme that “America is a work-in-progress” begins right away in the museum with a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and it traces suffrage, slavery, Reconstruction, and the civil rights movement. Rather than beginning with President Obama’s childhood, it walks us back to the ordinary people who made America and democracy possible.
As you move through the museum's floors, you will find stories and artifacts tracing back to President Obama’s campaigns and presidency.
Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize is on display, along with Michelle Obama’s iconic dresses and an incredible 88-foot digital screen installation along the walls spanning 4 floors.
The President’s Oval Office is replicated to show what it looked like during his time in office. I especially liked the plaque he kept on his desk that read, “Hard things are hard.”
You can get your photo taken behind the Oval Office desk (no, that’s not his real desk) and admire a few of his personal family photos.
By the time I reached the top floor, I was inspired by all the photos, stories, and speeches about democracy, America, and how it really takes ordinary citizens to keep the story going.
At times, it was an emotional journey, and near the end of the museum, it was hard not to feel motivated to be a part of America’s journey safeguarding democracy, freedom, and even our natural world.
The final floor of the museum is the Nelson Mandela Sky Room on Level 8. The Sky Room's dedication to Nelson Mandela felt fitting after experiencing the lower floors.
The “We The People” and “Yes We Can” sections, along with Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation and struggle, sent a strong message.
The view from the Sky Room is breathtaking, offering a 360-degree view of Chicago’s South Side, including the University of Chicago. The museum's words on the side of the building add a beautiful design element.
The Obamas didn’t leave out much of the story in our American journey to maintain democracy, and it felt like a call to action when I finished the museum visit.
6. The grounds are a big deal at the Presidential Center.
The main idea in the design focused on treating the campus as a park rather than a monument. The idea was that it should feel like a community gathering space, not a shrine you visit only once.
Women’s Garden and Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden.
These are working produce and perennial gardens with hands-on opportunities for community members. These gardens continue the work of Michelle Obama’s kitchen garden planted at the White House in 2009.
The gardens sit next to the Nancy Pelosi Garden Pavilion, which has a garden classroom and teaching kitchen.
Wetland Walk
Close to one acre of wetlands was designed to capture and treat stormwater. There is a walking path, seating, and space for kids to play.
Green Roofs
Many buildings have green roofs, which are real gardens and plantings. This adds nearly 4 acres of greenspace.
Sustainability and Biodiversity Focus
The campus includes pollinator-friendly plants and stormwater retention built into the landscaping.
The Grounds are Free and Open
The playground, gardens, and picnic spaces don’t require a museum pass. The grounds are meant to function as a community public park space for the neighborhood.
Public Art Is Heavy on Campus
There are over 28 commissioned works of art, most of which are outside or in areas accessible to the public for free during operating hours.
7. Future Concerns & Challenges for the Obama Presidential Center.
It wouldn’t be fair to write this article without mentioning the challenges and concerns the city of Woodlawn and South Side neighborhoods are facing since the center opened this summer.
Since the Obama Foundation announced the $800 million center 10 years ago, residents in the area have raised questions about gentrification and displacement. In 2020, the city of Chicago enacted the Woodlawn Housing Preservation Ordinance. In 2025, the City Council passed a $6 million Jackson Park Housing Pilot Program reserving 30 city-owned vacant lots for affordable housing.
Investors have continued to buy up nearby properties in historically Black neighborhoods. Tension between million-dollar real estate developments and longtime residents has been rising since the center opened, with $1 million townhomes being built next to older brick multifamily buildings. East Woodlawn single-family home prices have reportedly doubled. Rents in the area are up 43%.
The pressure from gentrification and displacement is real and intensifying in Woodlawn, and I suppose time will tell whether the countermeasures that have been put in place will benefit the local community.
A Few Final Words
Upon entering the Obama Presidential Museum, the first words I saw were “America is a work in progress.” Meaning that democracy is an ongoing, unfinished project, rather than something settled.
When I reached Level 5 in the museum, the words started to hit home for me. “We the People”. I felt a sense of responsibility to our democracy to join a community of changemakers, past or present, in action. It was the most emotional moment in the museum for me.
Now, more than ever in my lifetime, democracy has felt so fragile here in America.
President Obama said on the day of the center’s opening that focus needs to be placed upon:
“The shared values that make democracy possible, a belief in the intrinsic dignity and worth of all people… a belief in checks and balances in our government and an accountability that comes with an independent judiciary, and a robust free press.”
But Michelle Obama’s words summed my visit up the best:
“Hope is a choice. Whether or not we use our voices to speak up is a choice. Voting is a choice.”
Wherever the roads may lead you, I wish you the best.
Marla
More Information:
Tickets: Reservations are required in advance to visit the Museum and are not available at the door. Last I checked, the tickets were sold out until November 1, 2026.
You can get tickets at the following link: https://www.obama.org/visit/museum-tickets/
Location: It sits in Jackson Park at 6001 S Stony Island Avenue on Chicago’s South Side.
Opening Date: June 19, 2026. A date chosen to honor Juneteenth.
Getting There: The Presidential Campus is located 8 miles south of Chicago’s downtown. A twenty-minute ride on your preferred mode of transportation will take you there.
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