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Chicago community representatives and long-term residents express concerns that the Obama Presidential Center might erode the neighborhood’s character. They caution that luxury developments linked to the project could financially exclude families who have resided in the South Side for generations, as highlighted in a recent report.
The expansive 19.3-acre center, located in the historic Jackson Park with its towering 225-foot museum, is criticized for being an unattractive addition that clashes with nature. Locals reportedly receive only escalating rents and mounting tax bills in exchange for what they see as an eyesore.
“This is a monument to one man’s ego,” shared Steve Cortes, a Chicago native and a former advisor to President Donald Trump, in an interview with the Daily Mail. “Consider the Reagan Library. It’s a sight to behold. This one? It has nearly no windows. What are they concealing? Plus, this stark concrete look defies a city celebrated for its remarkable architecture.”
Photos accompanying the article illustrate concerns: community activists point out that the Center, shown on the right, is leading to increased property values and rents, pushing out working-class Chicago residents.
“With rents jumping from $850 to $1,300, it signals to residents that they are unwelcome here,” explained Dixon Romeo, an organizer with the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition, during an April demonstration covered by NBC Chicago.
Progress since the project’s commencement has been sluggish, with construction moving forward slowly while projected costs have surged from the initial $330 million to a substantial $830 million in a 2021 foundation estimate, with no recent updates on this escalating budget.
The center, which aims to honor former President Barack Obama’s political career, will also consist of a digital library, conference facilities, a gymnasium and a regulation-sized NBA court. It will also house the nonprofit Obama Foundation, which is overseeing the center’s development.
The scale of the project and the aesthetics of its centerpiece library have come in for criticism.
Ken Woodward, an attorney and father of six who grew up in the area, called it a “monstrosity.” “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,” Woodward told the Daily Mail.
“It’s over budget, it’s taking way too long to finish and it’s going to drive up prices and bring headaches and problems for everyone who lives here. It feels like a washing away of the neighborhood and culture that used to be here.”
WATCH: The Brian Kilmeade Show: Obama Presidential Center rocked by $40M racial bias lawsuit
Kyana Butler, an activist with Southside Together who campaigned for a CBA around the Obama Center, shared similar sentiments with the outlet.
“It’s pretty huge and monstrous,” Butler said. “It could have been smaller in scale and cost a lot less money. We’re all worried about the impact on the community.”
Tyrone Muhammad, director of Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, said, “It’s truly the Tower of Babel.”
“Property taxes are going up so much that the owner of my building is saying she might just walk away.. I don’t blame President Obama for all of this, but the people on his team may not have the best intentions for people in this area,” Muhammed, a 2026 Illinois Senate candidate, told the outlet.
“It’s disingenuous and hypocritical to take park space away from people and then not involve them in what takes its place. The move violates common decency.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Obama Center for comment.
In May, President Donald Trump offered to help out with the development of the center and linked DEI to the construction problems. The project set out “ambitious goals” for certain construction diversity quotas, with its contracts to be allocated to “diverse suppliers,” 35% of which were required to be minority-based enterprises (MBEs).
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker joins former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Sept. 28, 2021, in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Look, President Obama, if he wanted help, I’d give him help because I’m a really good builder and I build on time, on budget. He’s building his library in Chicago. It’s a disaster,” Trump said, adding that Obama was paying for prioritizing DEI over meritocracy.
“And he wanted to be very politically correct and he didn’t use good, hard, tough, mean construction workers that I love, Marco,” Trump said, while addressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A $40.75 million racially charged lawsuit filed earlier this year by a minority contractor against the project’s structural engineer shined a spotlight on the DEI-driven aspect of the project. The structural engineers claimed the minority contractor lacked sufficient qualifications and experience to perform its work, resulting in delays.
