The Obama presidential center and library is coming in over budget and way past schedule and those are not the only problems facing the project.
Some residents of Chicago are unhappy about the ‘monstrosity’ that looms over what was once a popular public park.
A number of activists fought the creation of the center in favor of the park but lost that battle. Now everyone gets to enjoy this structure which some people have suggested looks like something out of a Star Wars movie.
The New York Post reports:
Chicago residents blast ‘monstrosity’ Obama Presidential Center as displacement fears grow
Construction of former President Barack Obama’s library and museum in Chicago has triggered backlash from local residents and community leaders, who fear the $850 million “monstrosity” will accelerate gentrification, drive up rents, and displace longtime residents and their families, according to a new report.
The Obama Presidential Center is set to open in April in Jackson Park on the city’s South Side, near the University of Chicago — where the future 44th president taught law before entering politics.
Far from feeling pride in the neighborhood’s favorite son, locals are blasting the project, evem calling its design an “eyesore.”
“It looks like this big piece of rock that just landed here out of nowhere in what used to be a really nice landscape of trees and flowers,” Ken Woodward, a lawyer and father of six who grew up in the area, told the Daily Mail.
See the video below:
Residents speak out against Barack Obama Presidential Center
“It looks like a big piece of rock kind of right in the middle of what used to be Jackson park, full of lush flowers, trees, and just beautiful. And all of a sudden, here you’ve got this big monstrosity. It’s over… pic.twitter.com/s7iEZRa9iY
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) August 19, 2025
It was recently announced that the center is going to start giving free tours. Watch:
Will you be signing up to tour the center?
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