{"id":680296,"date":"2026-06-02T18:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/680296\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:22:11","slug":"no-tower-of-glower-obama-center-and-its-maligned-signature-building-are-worthy-of-consideration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/680296\/","title":{"rendered":"No tower of glower: Obama Center and its maligned signature building are worthy of consideration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since the Obama Presidential Center began rising out the historic grounds of Jackson Park, its Museum Tower \u2014 the campus\u2019 most visible structure \u2014 became a riddlesome, what-the-heck-is-this kind of a building.<\/p>\n

And there was a reason for this.<\/p>\n

In a city of tall, glassy skyscrapers, the Museum Tower is shrouded in granite and virtually windowless.<\/p>\n

While the best of Chicago\u2019s parks buildings attempt to blend in with their landscapes, the stocky, square-jawed 225-foot building at 6101 S. Stony Island Ave. can be seen from almost a mile away. It sticks out like an elephant in the tall grass.<\/p>\n

The $850 million presidential center \u2014 the most expensive built so far \u2014 opens on June 19.<\/p>\n

Designed by New York City\u2019s Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the center is a five-building complex. Two of the structures \u2014 the Forum and a new Chicago Public Library branch \u2014 sit just footsteps south of the tower, beneath rolling parkland designed by New York landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.<\/p>\n

A 437-car parking garage hides under the park. The freestanding building Home Court, an athletic facility designed by architecture firm Moody Nolan, is located on the south end of the campus near 62nd Street. There is also a garden pavilion, named for former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, south of the library branch.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

The Jackson Park lagoon can be seen from the Nelson Mandela Sky Room at the Obama Presidential Center.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the presidential center\u2019s Museum Tower that has drawn the most attention \u2014 and derision. After plans for the campus were made public almost a dozen years ago, the structure was compared to everything from a maximum security prison to a big garbage can.<\/p>\n

I even got in on the act last year, writing<\/a> that the tower \u201clooks funereal enough to fit in at … Oak Woods Cemetery at 67th and Cottage Grove.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certainly, the tower has its faults, namely that putting the equivalent of a 20-story building in a public park, particularly designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, is just wrong. Almost like wanting to bump out the attic of a classic Chicago bungalow.<\/p>\n

Yet here\u2019s a paradox for you: During my visit to the center last week, I lamented the parkland that it had been built upon, but I was impressed by the result.<\/p>\n

Up close, the tower is quite striking, sculptural \u2014 very much a monument as much as it is a building. And that\u2019s meant in a good way. <\/p>\n

Standing in the main plaza, which is a granite landscaped courtyard that is also shared by the Forum and library, the tower\u2019s odd angles, beveled edges and blockiness start to make sense visually. The building\u2019s south-facing main elevation basks in bright sunlight, revealing intriguing textures, details and shadows.<\/p>\n

The Obama Center\u2019s tower is far from being a mausoleum. Along with its companion buildings, the plaza and redesigned park space turned a pleasant but quiet corner of Jackson Park into one of the best urban spaces in the city, maybe second only to Millennium Park.<\/p>\n

Shades of that were apparent during my visit. There were a couple hundred people touring the center sparkling with chatter, tugging each others\u2019 elbows and pointing, eager to explore the area\u2019s interior and exterior spaces.<\/p>\n

Young folk took selfies in the plaza with that big tower as the backdrop.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach time I\u2019ve been here \u2014 I\u2019ve been here frequently \u2014 it\u2019s changed,\u201d Tod Williams said as he and design partner Billie Tsien walked the campus with me. \u201cIt becomes more alive, and with more people, and it feels like a space for people. It also feels like it\u2019s democratic space. It\u2019s space where we can move about freely, wherever you want. I find it incredibly hopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A stairwell in the Museum Tower at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The tower\u2019s unusual shape is inspired by the look of four hands coming together, Williams said. <\/p>\n

Tsien said the building\u2019s form was also inspired by a rock the architects found in Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a dusty box on the floor of a souvenir store in Aksum in the Tigray section of Ethiopia,\u201d she said. \u201cIt fits in the palm of your hand. The letters carved are unintelligible \u2014 maybe Amharic? Not sure if it was 100 years old or 10 days old, but it was mysterious and felt as if it carried a message.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite its height, there are only eight floors in the Museum Tower, plus a lower level. Williams and Tsien take good advantage of that room to create generously-sized exhibition spaces dedicated to Obama\u2019s presidency and the times and history that both shaped and led to it.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a full-size replica of Obama\u2019s Oval Office on the fourth floor. Another exhibit, Yes We Can, located on the second floor, uses video and objects to relive Obama\u2019s successful 2008 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n

William and Tsien nicely accommodate the center\u2019s rich art collection, featuring the work of 30 top-flight artists, including Julie Mehretu\u2019s Uprising of the Sun, a large vertical exterior stained glass visible on the north side of the tower, to Mark Bradford\u2019s colorful site plan-like \u201cCity of the Big Shoulders\u201d on the building\u2019s third floor atrium.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Architect Billie Tsien speaks with a staffer about her favorite views from the Nelson Mandela Sky Room atop the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A vista of the public library from inside the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A public library is a key feature on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A public library is a key feature on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A statue depicting Barack and Michelle Obama on his first Inauguration Day in 2009 is featured outside the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The Home Court includes an NBA regulation-size basketball court on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The exterior of the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The Obama Presidential Center museum tower is nestled behind the Hyde Park Academy track and field in Jackson Park on the South Side.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The lagoon and Lake Michigan are visible from the Nelson Mandela Sky Room atop the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Architect Tod Williams takes in the view from the Nelson Mandela Sky Room atop the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A replica of the Obama-era Oval Office features photos of the Obama family in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A replica of the Obama-era Oval Office is featured in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A replica of the Obama-era Oval Office features an old Blackberry cell phone in a desk drawer in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A replica of the Obama-era Oval Office is featured in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A replica of the Obama-era Oval Office features a note from President George W. Bush tucked in a desk drawer in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A light installation, which is surrounded by text from Obama\u2019s speeches, is a central feature in the Nelson Madela Sky Room atop the museum tower building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Artwork lines a wall outside the Nelson Mandela Sky Room on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The Hadiya Pendleton Atrium in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The Elie Wiesel Auditorium in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The gift shop in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus sells \u201cA Promised Land,\u201d Barack Obama\u2019s presidential memoir.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The gift shop in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus sells souvenirs.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

A Democracy in Action Lab program room in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The cafe in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Architect Billie Tsien views a video exhibition in the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Text from Obama\u2019s 2015 speech in Selma is a feature of the museum tower building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.<\/p>\n

|
\n Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The tower had almost no exterior windows in order to keep sunlight from shining onto the art and into the exhibition spaces.<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s non-ticketed public portions are a revelation, with comfortable lounge and cafe spaces in the tower, Forum and library with lots of warm tones, wood and natural light through a few strategically placed windows on the tower\u2019s north and east sides and garden level.<\/p>\n

The Forum, a multifunction building featuring an auditorium, rooms and cafe space, is the tower\u2019s worthy next-door neighbor. The two buildings are connected below ground \u2014 not a bad thing during the winter months.<\/p>\n

One of the Forum\u2019s standout spaces is the glassy and sunlit Hadiya Pendleton Atrium located inside the building\u2019s entrance, near Tafari\u2019s Kitchen, a restaurant in the facility. Pendleton was a Chicago high school student who was shot to death eight days after performing as a majorette during Obama\u2019s second inauguration in 2013.<\/p>\n

One of the center\u2019s best moments can be experienced in the expansive Nelson Mandela Sky Room, with its floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views not of Chicago\u2019s skyline but the vast expanses of the city\u2019s South Side.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Nelson Mandela Sky Room is on the top floor of the Museum Tower, with words from Obama\u2019s 2015 speech \u201cYou Are America\u201d wrapping the south and west upper portions of the building.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a part of Chicago that has been too often overlooked, undervalued and counted out. But from the skyroom, the buildings, parks, infrastructure boulevards and people of the South Side \u2014 from Woodlawn to as far south and west as the eye can reach \u2014 must be seen and considered.<\/p>\n

That the neighborhoods are viewed through the large concrete letters that compose the words of Obama\u2019s 2015 speech<\/a> \u201cYou Are America,\u201d commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches, makes it all the more fitting.<\/p>\n

Van Valkenburgh\u2019s landscapes include pathways, a wetland walk, fruit and vegetable garden \u2014 a pet project of Michelle Obama \u2014 a playground and an elliptical Great Lawn.<\/p>\n

And replacing multilane Cornell Drive with a promenade and green space that will allow park patrons to walk right up to the edge of the Jackson Park lagoon is a master stroke.<\/p>\n

The landscapes complement the Obama Center\u2019s buildings without being in service to them. The grounds are free to be, just like a normal park.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we make this a place that people are going to want to come to, where they want to hang out?\u201d Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Principal Matthew Bird said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got picnic areas with grills and tables, and it wants to be a place for the community to come in on a day to day basis. I mean, it should be a part of the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Daley Center\u2019s Picasso was unloved by many when it was unveiled in 1967. One alderman wanted to replace the sculpture with a statue of Cubs great Ernie Banks.<\/p>\n

But over time, the audacious, untitled sculpture became a beloved symbol of Chicago \u2014 once we got to know it. The Obama Center is worthy of the same consideration.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Hadiya Pendleton Atrium in the Forum building.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ever since the Obama Presidential Center began rising out the historic grounds of Jackson Park, its Museum Tower…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":680297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88],"class_list":["post-680296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}