The group, which was behind a lawsuit that ultimately forced George Lucas’ museum out of the city, said the Jackson Park site that was chosen for the future Obama Presidential Center “is not public trust land – unlike the proposed sites for the Lucas Museum”.
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There was some disagreement over whether park space should be used for this objective, but Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel believed this would be a “unique opportunity” for Chicago to gain national attention.
A mile to the west is Washington Park, also designed by Olmsted, who originally conceived of the two expanses as one park. It attracted millions when it hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The organization said building the library there would have “the greatest long-term impact on the combined communities”.
“Friends of the Parks’ analysis suggests that there is no realistic legal remedy at this time to protect this public open space from this development”, executive director Juanita Irizarry said.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have selected Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side as the site for President Obama’s presidential library, according to numerous press reports.
“Bringing the Obama Presidential Center to the South Side will provide an array of new opportunities for our young people, and it will be a catalyst for economic development, cultural enrichment and community programming”, Zimmer said.
The Tribune’s Blair Kamin describes Jackson Park as “bucolic” and a “safe” choice, as Jackson Park already has the Museum of Science and Industry off which the new presidential library can “piggyback” to create what Kamin envisions as “Museum Campus South” – whereas the “scruffier” Washington Park would be more difficult to navigate and a harder draw for suburban and overseas visitors. Jackson Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux for the 1893 World’s Fair. “Friends of the Parks similarly has a deep commitment to the protection and preservation of the public’s use of and access to open space”, Friends board Chairwoman Lauren Moltz said.
Although Jackson Park borders on Lake Michigan, the library site will be west of Lake Shore Drive. That would have meant less of an impact on the historic park landscape, said Gerald Adelmann, president of Chicago-based Openlands. The loss of the presidential center and library is another blow to the neighborhood’s quest for a revival.
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Some Washington Park community leaders are quietly pleased the library will be close but not too close. They are connected by a strip of green known as the Midway Plaisance.
