Chicago’s Jackson Park will be the home of the Barack Obama presidential library, according to media reports.
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama reportedly have made a decision to build the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, choosing the site just east of the University of Chicago over Washington Park.
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Although Martin Nesbitt, chairman of the Obama Foundation, declined to give official confirmation, the Tribune reported an official announcement is expected to come next week.
The other finalist site for the library was Washington Park, about three miles to the northwest.
While the challenges won’t be as great at Jackson Park as they would have been at Washington Park, the site also borders a low-income neighborhood, and building a cultural hub will require development and increased transit accessibility.
The president famously worked as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side, where Michelle Obama grew up. The library and museum are expected to be open to visitors by 2020 or 2021.
The parks were chosen as finalists previous year over bids by Columbia University in New York City, the University of Hawaii and the University of IL at Chicago.
The park is situated on the shores of Lake Michigan on the South Side of the city, close to the University of Chicago and several low-income neighborhoods.
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The news of the center’s location follows the Obama Foundation’s selection of the project’s architects.
