Obama Foundation announces exact location of presidential library
The Obama Foundation announced Friday that the Obama Presidential Center will be "located in the heart of the South Side" of Chicago in Jackson Park.
The First Family had lived in that area of Chicago for many years before moving to Washington and moving into the White House in 2009.
"For the first time, a presidential center will be in the heart of an urban community. The President and First Lady are proud that the Obama Foundation is developing the Obama Presidential Center in the South Side, a community that they call home," Marty Nesbitt, chair of the Obama Foundation, said in a statement.
He added that the location of the center, which will house a museum, library and office space, will bring "significant long-term benefits to the South Side."
In May 2015, the foundation announced Chicago had won the bid over other cities to host the complex.
"The Obama Presidential Center will bring tremendous cultural, economic and educational benefits not just to Jackson Park, but to Washington Park, Woodlawn and the entire City of Chicago for generations to come," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served as President Obama's first chief of staff in the White House.
The location was selected after the foundation solicited proposals, it reviewed them, had the president and first lady Michelle Obama sign off on one and the board approved it. And last month, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners and Interactive Design Architects were hired to lead the design phase of the center.
Construction isn't expected to begin until well after the president leaves office in January, The Chicago Tribune reported in June, and isn't expected to be completed until 2021.
