Former President Obama announces that construction of the “Obama Presidential Center (OPC)” will officially begin in the city of Chicago
Former U.S. President Barack Obama announced Wednesday, Feb. 3, that construction on his state-of-the-art Presidential Center in Chicago’s South End will begin later this year.
Obama announced on Twitter Wednesday afternoon, “I am proud to announce that the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) will officially break ground in 2021.”
The project, known as the “Obama Presidential Center,” will be built on 19.3 acres (78,100 square meters) in Jackson Park, a National Historic Landmark, and will be 235 feet (71.6 meters) tall. The building will be a 235-foot-tall (71.6 meters) building with an Obama presidential museum, a “program, events and sports center” and a children’s play area.
The building is also set to pay homage to former First Lady Michelle’s White House garden with a White House “fruit and vegetable garden and teaching kitchen” that will serve as “a learning space for young people and community members.
Construction of the center was previously scheduled to begin in 2018, but plans were delayed and made possible this year. In 2018, the Obama Presidential Center is scheduled to cost $35 million.
So far, the Obama Foundation said, preliminary work on the center has been scheduled for April, which includes the relocation of utility lines. Physical construction is expected to take place in early August.
In a video Wednesday, Obama said, “I met Michelle here (in Chicago). (The memorial) is just a few miles from where she grew up. Chicago is also the birthplace of Sasha and Maria. It’s where I became a community organizer and won my first election.”
“The last 12 months have been one of the most challenging things in our history,” Obama said of the Epidemic that hit Chicago hard, “and hopefully 2021 will provide a turning point for our nation and our city. We also hope that the groundbreaking of the Obama Presidential Center will be an important part of that change.”
He said the construction of the Obama Center will have a $3 billion “economic impact” on the site and “create new economic opportunities” and create jobs.
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