The Associated Press has reportedthat BarackObama‘spresidential librarywill be in his adopted hometown ofChicago. After months of speculation that the 44th President of the United States might site his legacy project inNew York City—where he attendedColumbia University—orhis birth city of Honolulu, Hawaii, multiple unnamed sources cited by the AP and other publications say Obama and his nonprofit foundation have settled on Chicago, where he forged his political career.
The University of Chicago, where Obama taught law, will host the library and museum. No architect has yet been named. The project is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, likely spurring more development on Chicago’s South Side.
As the city from which Obama was first elected to public office andin 2008 first addressed the nation as its first African-American president-elect, Chicago was seen by many as an obvious choice. But in the long lead-up to the decision—made longer by the protracted race for Chicago mayor, which saw former Obama Chief of StaffRahm Emanuelspend millions of dollars to fend off an unexpected political challenger from the left—sources close to the president’s foundationhad raised concerns about the proposalsfrom several universities around the city.
The University of Chicago’s winning bid benefitted from having friends in high places. Emanuelled the charge in Chicago City Councilto cede public park land to the private library project,successfully lobbying for the same assurance from the state legislature. That move remains controversial, however, and the design team selected to realize the president’s legacy of public service will have to contend withopposition from open space advocatesin Obama’s own backyard.
