Construction continues on the Obama Presidential Center, the complex that will host former President Barack Obama’s presidential library and other buildings in a campus-style setting. The most expensive presidential center ever has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump and sparked controversy in Chicago, but Obama remains hopeful about it.

Trump launches ‘DEI’ criticism of the Obama Presidential Center

Trump, who paved over the White House Rose Garden and is currently demolishing a portion of the White House as part of a privately funded, $250 million ballroom project, recently criticized the Obama Presidential Center. “He needs help,” and “it’s not too pretty,” Trump said about the complex being built in Chicago. Trump, who has a history of seeming to hold petty grudges against Obama and other former presidents, made unsubstantiated claims that the project “ran out of money” and was “stuck.” Trump also threw in racism and sexism into his criticism, saying that “he wanted only women and DEI to build it. That’s what they got.”

POTUS on Obama's presidential library: "He needs help… it's not too pretty." pic.twitter.com/sKkbGEQHa0— Alijandro (@iamalijandro) October 21, 2025

A costly and controversial project

The Obama Presidential Center, an approximately $850 million project, has attracted its fair share of controversy. An environmentalist group sued to stop construction, arguing the city had illegally transferred land in Jackson Park to the private Obama Foundation; a judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2019. More generally, critics have worried that it would contribute to gentrification in Chicago. Others have criticized the facility’s historical and academic value, noting that it’s owned by the Obama Foundation rather than operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, and the foundation is paying the National Archives to digitize the Obama records rather than physically host the papers there.

Obama expresses vision for his center

Regardless of criticisms, Obama still sees the center as a benefit to Chicago and a new part of the community. Obama spoke to The New York Times about the center, which is set to end construction sometime in the spring.

“I’m not interested in a mausoleum, and I’m not really that interested in just, you know, a celebration of my presidency,” Obama told the paper. “I’m more interested in, how can we use this space to activate people and get them to feel inspired about making a difference in their own communities? To create a center for community life in a place that, frankly, has often been neglected.”

To that end, the project has been designed as a campus rather than a single building. In addition to the main museum building — an imposing 225-foot structure nicknamed the “Obamalisk” that will require paid tickets — the center will include multiple spaces, including classrooms, meeting rooms, parks, and an NBA-size basketball court, all open to visitors without charge. The Obama Center will also include a branch of the Chicago Public Library. Deloitte estimates that 625,000 to 760,000 people will visit the Obama Presidential Center each year.

Criticisms notwithstanding, the Obama Presidential Center appears on track to be completed within a year. Once it opens, supporters and critics will be able to see the impact the center will have on history and scholarship and match Obama’s vision for “a living, breathing, dynamic cultural and gathering space” within the heart of Chicago.

The post Obama Presidential Center Draws Criticism, Inspires Hope As Construction Continues appeared first on Blavity.



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