Barack Obama’s Chicago roots run deep. Regarding the choice of Jackson Park over Washington Park, Nesbitt said it was a hard decision because the parks are so close together, but either way, it is a win for this entire area.
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The Obama Foundation has formally announced that it has chosen Jackson Park as the Chicago location for Barack Obama’s presidential library.
The announcement by the Obama Foundation ends the question of whether the center would be in Jackson Park or in Washington Park at a site approximately two miles west of the chosen spot.
“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.
“I’m just so unhappy”, said Jacky Grimshaw, vice president for policy at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, an urban development and economic advocacy organization. The South Side is home to the University of Chicago and the Museum of Science and Industry as well as businesses, but many neighborhoods are plagued by poverty and crime.
“I consider myself a South Sider”, said Michelle Obama.
“We would like to ensure that any impact on historic Jackson Park will be minimal and preserve the integrity of Frederick Law Olmsted’s design”, said Friends of the Parks Board chairwoman Lauren Moltz. Or, rather, his presidential library is. “If that’s the case, wouldn’t Washington Park have been a better choice?”
But Martin Nesbitt, chairman of the Obama Foundation, which will develop the presidential library, seemed to interpret the decision not to file suit as a green light.
Construction isn’t expected to begin until well after the president leaves office in January, The Chicago Tribune reported in June, and isn’t expected to be completed until 2021.
The Obama Foundation is set to unveil details about its plan to build Barack Obama’s presidential library in a lakeside park in Chicago’s South Side. It was home to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, and the tranquil lagoons and other features designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted for the event remain.
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“The design of the Obama library should maximize the use of available vacant land and underground space, and be truly “park positive” by adding parkland to the surrounding community”, Irizarry said. It resulted in Lucas pulling the plug on the $743 million private investment and moving the project to California.
