The Obama Presidential Center opened its doors to the public Friday in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, capping a years-long effort to build a campus that its organizers say goes beyond the traditional model for presidential libraries.
The $850 million center sits on a 19-acre campus inside Jackson Park, a historic stretch of public parkland that connects the neighborhood to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and Lake Michigan. The opening ceremony took place Thursday, according to CBS News, and featured a star-studded guest list, musical performances, and four former presidents, including Barack Obama himself.
According to ABC News, the center includes artifacts from both the former president and first lady, ranging from dresses worn by Michelle Obama to campaign buttons and handwritten speech notes. But the bulk of the campus is built around connecting historical turning points to ordinary people and their role in driving political and social change.
One of the most significant differences from other presidential libraries is that records from the Obama presidency will be fully digital, a first in U.S. history. That decision allows the center to use its physical space for interactive programming rather than storing paper archives.
The campus includes a recording studio, an auditorium, a newly opened branch of the Chicago Public Library, a 60,000-square-foot multipurpose space with a basketball court, and an 88-foot-tall digital installation featuring former speeches, poetry, and music from Obama's two terms. Outside, 3.7 acres include a public plaza, walking trails, a fruit and vegetable garden, and more than an acre of playground space. Twenty-eight commissioned works of art are displayed throughout, 23 of which are accessible without a ticket.
Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett told ABC News that the intent is for visitors to "leave with a stronger conviction that we are all responsible for continuing to improve our great nation of ours." She added: "Most importantly, they're going to have fun."
Jarrett, a former Obama adviser who grew up near the neighborhood, said the center was built with the surrounding community in mind. Like her, the Obamas lived within walking distance during the early years of their marriage, and Michelle Obama spent much of her childhood just one neighborhood away.
