Photo: Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Presidential Center opens to the public on June 19, 2026 — and ahead of that date, the doors swung open for a media preview of what the Obamas have built on Chicago's South Side. The short version: it's worth the trip.
Set across 19.3 acres in historic Jackson Park, the Center is anchored by four main buildings — a Museum, a Forum, a Chicago Public Library branch, and the athletic facility Home Court — all connected by John Lewis Plaza at the heart of the campus. The grounds are open to the public daily and free of charge. Only the Museum requires a timed ticket, though Illinois residents get in free every Tuesday.
The Museum spans four floors and traces a sweeping arc — from the founding principles of American democracy through the social movements of the twentieth century, into the Obama campaign and presidency, and forward toward what comes next. The exhibits don't just tell the Obamas' story; they place it within the larger story of America — humbly, powerfully, and with an eye toward the future. Artifacts include Michelle Obama's iconic gowns, a full-scale Oval Office replica, and an 88-foot digital installation called Power of Words that draws on speeches, songs, poetry, and imagery to remind visitors what language can do when it's wielded with purpose.
The Forum — free and open without a ticket — houses an auditorium, classrooms, a restaurant and café, and a community gathering space anchored by the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium. The Chicago Public Library branch on campus features the Presidential Reading Room, home to more than 3,500 books personally meaningful to President and Mrs. Obama.
Outside, the Ann Dunham Water Terrace honors the President's late mother with a sculpture by artist Maya Lin, while the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden brings food, education, and community together in one space. Home Court — a 60,000-square-foot facility with an NBA-regulation basketball court — rounds out the campus with youth-focused programming built around sports, leadership, and teamwork.
Twenty-eight original works by 30 commissioned artists are integrated throughout the campus, with 23 of those pieces free and accessible to the public outdoors — a significant and deliberate expansion of public art on Chicago's South Side.
The economic impact of the $850 million campus investment is just as intentional: 5,000 construction jobs were created, more than half of all construction contracts went to diverse firms, and a third of total workforce hours were performed by residents from Chicago's South and West Sides.
Leading the Center into its opening are some of the sharpest minds in the business — Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Michael Strautmanis, Incoming Executive Vice President of the Presidential Center John Roberson, Executive Vice President of Programs Tina Tchen, and Museum Founding Director Dr. Louise Bernard.
Decades in the making. Finally here. Free to the community it was always meant to serve.
The Obama Foundation is a non-profit collaborator of the Black Information Network.
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