11 Jan 2018
Barack Obama reveals revised plans for Presidential Center
BY Tom Anstey
Former US president Barack Obama has provided an update on his Presidential Center, promising to “create a campus for active citizenship in the heart of Chicago’s South Side”.
The design, which was unveiled in May last year, has been created by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in partnership with Interactive Design Architects (IDEA).
According to Obama and his wife, Michelle, the US$350m (€293m, £259.5m) Presidential Center – which is now taller and sleeker in appearance – will act as part of a living, working campus.
“While this centre may have my name on it, it will be a place open to everybody dedicated to informing and inspiring the leaders of tomorrow,” said Obama.
“Michelle and I want this to be more than just a building. We want to create an economic engine for Chicago – a cultural attraction that showcases the southside to the rest of the world.
"We want it to be a gathering place – somewhere for all kinds of people to come together and learn.”
The centre’s campus – which sits on the banks of Lake Michigan – is intended to “energise” the Jackson Park site, with a proposed promenade running along the site’s east side, leading to the Museum Building and the Museum of Science Industry.
The Museum Building is designed to become a landmark for the South Side.
“We want this to be a place that helps all of us to build our collective futures,” said Obama. “This centre, most importantly, is for the leaders of tomorrow.
"We want this place to inspire them, to lift them up, to give them the tools they need to succeed.”
After submitting plans to the city of Chicago yesterday (10 January), ground is expected to be broken on the project later this year, with its doors officially opening in 2021.
The centre is expected to draw upward of 760,000 visitors a year, generating US$3.1bn (€2.6bn, £2.3bn) for the local economy in its first 10 years.
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