Granite cladding has reached the top of the Museum Tower at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. The richly-textured panels now cover all four façades of the structure, with Julie Mehretu’s glass art installation “Uprising of the Sun” facing north toward the Museum of Science & Industry and Hyde Park.
At the top of the tower’s north and west façades is a large opening wrapping around the exterior, where an excerpt in stone of President Obama’s 2015 “You Are America” speech at the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches will be featured. Windows are in place that will allow visitors to look out of the tower, through the lettering. The Obama Foundation expects to begin welcoming guests to the center in 2026.
Looking southwest from the Jackson Park cherry grove. All photos were taken on May 16, 2025 by Daniel Schell
The cutout atop the northeast corner of the tower
Looking across the West Lagoon from Wooded Island
In the foreground, improvements to the park on the west side of Stony Island Avenue
Construction crew at work high up the south façade
The southwest corner of the tower, where President Obama’s “You Are America” text will be installed
Looking east from 60th Street
Looking east from Midway Plaisance
Top of the west façade. “You Are America” text will wrap around to the south façade
Looking north across the athletic field. Home Court, also under construction, is in the foreground
Looking north up Stony island Avenue
Workers on the rooftop
Workers on the west façade
Looking southeast from Midway Plaisance
“Uprising of the Sun” glass art installation by Julie Mehretu on the tower’s north façade
The view from Wooded Island, looking northwest
From the south end of Jackson Park, near MSI, looking southwest
North and east façades
South and east façades from Wooded Island
At top left, President Obama’s “You Are America” will wrap around from the west façade
The west façade from the plaisance
The top of the southwest corner will feature President Obama’s “You Are America” text from 2015.
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Thankfully, I saw this before the deluge of nit-picking, Obama-bashing, NIMBY, and right-wing bloviation comments that are sure to flood in. Now I just have to resist looking at the comments here for entertainment value.
IMO, it looks fine.
I do hope this becomes a tourist attraction and fills up hotels.
I also hope we see a lot of investment (private investment, not the “we hate outsiders” semi-racially motivated type that is meant to keep only the “right people” in the community type). The south side has spent 70 years being stuck in the economic hole and it’s time to see it rise again.
Do you have this energy for the rest of the city or only the south side? Because that type of mentality happens all the time to keep black/brown ppl out.
God forbid any developer try to keep them in. Take your fake outrage somewhere else.
These communities aren’t absent from larger investors, but aren’t always local. Sometimes, they front with good intentions, but even that comes with strong protests. The new quantum campus is a prime example of such.
I see the first comment as ignorant, but what’s the right balance? Some of these communities don’t have the local capital for some of the bigger-scale projects. I believe communities must keep a healthy mix of affordable and upper-middle class. However, to achieve that, a mixing of demographics is introduced. Normal mid-density will undoubtedly help the South and West Sides, and we will reverse all the vacant lots, but eventually we will start to sprinkle the bigger stuff. That new hotel across from the library? A big investment. Do others see it that way?
Fighting tooth and nail from outside money has made Oakland, CA, what it is today: half vacant and unsafe.
You don’t have to say that my comment was ‘ignorant’ just to appease people. My comment is true, if there is something there that isn’t please point it out. Truth is, trying to keep investment outside of these areas is racially motivated, many people don’t even try to hide that fact. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes of internet searching to see examples of people in the community wanting to keep people of a certain race from moving in.
Race baiters go away
I can’t wait to visit.
I hope I am able to go often
Love the building, and I wish he were our president.
This is purely art. A sculpture set in a garden.
Looks good from far away but up close it just looks cheap… still very exciting
I think the landscaping architecture will set this space apart. The vertical portions will not be covered in greenery, but the contrast will be striking. Once all the cladding is up and final details emerge, the removal of construction equipment will be a lot of help.
Looking rather grey and dull compared to renderings but what else is to be expected
If this were my library, I would be a little nervous. It’s lacking a sense of warmth and doesn’t project a welcoming and inviting feeling. Here’s hoping that I’m proven wrong when it is completed. I look forward to visiting and enjoying all that the library will offer!
I hear this…I live in the neighorhood and often walk by the campus. I think once the park is restored and landscaping is complete it will feel more inviting. What these photos don’t depict is that the concrete, up close, actually has a soft pink mixed throughout it. Some details can only be noticed in person!
Lets keep our politics of out of this – the designs itself looks horrible no matter how you cover it .