Former President Barack Obama (left) shares a light moment with his Vice President Joe Biden (right).
Good things come to those who wait.
And considering that former President Barack Obama left the Oval Office eight years ago and still has not opened his presidential library must mean that it will be great when the grand opening occurs for the entire facility.
Lee Bey of the Chicago Sun-Times reported, “A glassy, angular multipurpose facility that features an NBA regulation-size basketball court and views of Jackson Park last week became the first Obama Presidential Center building to reach completion.
The 60,000-square-foot building, called Home Court, is at 6121 S. Stony Island Ave., about a block south of the 225-foot-tall museum tower that marks the center’s campus…
“The foundation has been moving-in furniture and art over the past two months. The entire center isn’t expected to open until June 2026.
“Designed by the Chicago office of Moody Nolan, a Black-owned architecture firm based in Columbus, Ohio, Home Court is visually different from the buildings designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, located at the center of the campus.”
Known for his love of hoops, America’s first Black president played a role in the design of Home Court.
Jonathan Moody, CEO of Moody Nolan, said, “I think the word he used was ‘fun.’ It was intended to be different, unique—one player on a team in a campus of buildings that has its own role, specifically around fun and sports and engagement. So, it is intended to be dynamic [looking].
Despite the excitement and uniqueness of the Obama Presidential Center, the staff at the New York Post seems upset about its development.
The conservative tabloid has consistently bashed the project for the past several months and years.
On Oct. 15, Alex Oliveira of the New York Post wrote, “Yes, we trash can.
“President Barack Obama’s austere new presidential library is getting roasted with comparisons to the Death Star, garbage can bins and other domineering monoliths in a social media thread sparked by Sen. Ted Cruz…
“The facility, a slab of concrete and granite rising 225 feet above Chicago’s Jackson Park, has faced ridicule from critics since its design was first unveiled nearly 10 years ago—and the peanut gallery poured on more jokes after Cruz’s post.”
On Nov. 12, Chadwick Moore of the New York Post wrote, “What kind of U.S. president demolishes a cherished piece of American history to build a shrine to himself?
“That’s what many Chicagoans are asking—and they aren’t talking about President Trump’s East Wing demolition to make way for the White House ballroom.
“Locals are still trying to make sense of the $850 million Obama Presidential Center dubbed ‘The Obamalisk,’ which broke ground in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park in 2021 and will be finished next Spring.”
Critics of President Donald Trump have criticized him for destroying an entire section of the White House, arguably the most historic building in the country, to build a ballroom, without congressional input.
Additionally, Trump opponents have criticized him for naming many his buildings and hotels after himself, with some viewing that as building shrines.
Despite the criticism from some on the political right, the Obama Presidential Center promotes itself as a “global center for change.”
When Obama ran for president in 2008, he often used the motto, “change we can believe in.”
And on the night of his election victory, the then president-elect vowed that “change has come to America.”
Obama’s meteoric rise to the White House was seen as a watershed moment because a Black man, the child of a Kenyan father and mother from Kansas, could become leader of the free world.
Many believed that Obama’s election meant that America had become post-racial, meaning racism would no longer be the cancer that it had been for the country since before it became independent from British rule.
Unfortunately, eight years after he left office, racism is seemingly at an all-time high.
As a result, many on the political left have blamed Trump for the perceived rise in racism because of the bigoted things that come out of his mouth during press conferences, rallies and social media posts.
Even many of Trump’s policies have rolled back diversity efforts as well as protections from racial discrimination.
Therefore, many see the new Obama library as a means of bringing back some of that hope that his 2008 and 2012 victories brought to America.
According to Obama.org, “The Obama Presidential Center will be a lively community hub, economic anchor, and beacon of democracy right here on the South Side of Chicago. We are excited to welcome visitors—whether they are coming from down the block or across the globe—to be inspired, empowered, and connected with each other to create a better future…
“Spanning 19 acres, the campus will feature a fruit and vegetable garden, an athletics, programs, and events facility; a world-class museum; and auditorium; a branch of the Chicago Public Library; and more. Additional programming will also invite visitors—whether they’re coming from down the block or across the globe—to bring change home.”
So much has changed in America since Obama left office.
Therefore, it seems that the Obama Presidential Center desires to bring some of that hope and change back to the land of the free and home of the brave.
