After a few months of well-earned vacation, former president Barack Obama is officially ready for the next phase of his legacy.
On Wednesday, Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama unveiled their plans for his presidential library, scheduled to open on the South Side of Chicago by 2021.
As a Chicago resident and former Illinois senator, the city holds a special place in the former president’s heart. “We are proud that the center will help spur development in an urban area, and we can’t wait to forge new ways to give back to the people of Chicago who have given us so much,” the former first couple said in a statement back in July, when plans for the center were first announced. As Buzzfeed reports, the site beat out competition from Hawaii, where he was born, and New York, where he attended college, to become the center’s permanent home.
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According to a statement from the Obama Foundation, the design was created by husband-and-wife architect team Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. Set to be more of a campus than a traditional library, the design includes classrooms, a library, an auditorium, a restaurant, and a public garden. There is also a museum, as well as underground tunnels with glass ceilings to connect the buildings.
The campus will be located in Jackson Park, which was first designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to host the 1893 World’s Fair, Buzzfeed reports. Chicago Mayor (and former Obama Chief of Staff) Rahm Emanuel seems to be in full support of the project and the positive impact it will have on the community. “This vision will enhance the historic landscape of Jackson Park as originally envisioned by Frederick Olmsted, and we all look forward to engaging with residents as we begin the community process to turn this vision into reality in a way that maximizes economic development and opportunity in Woodlawn, South Shore, and Washington Park,”`he said in a statement.
According to ABC News, though the library isn't scheduled to be completed for four years, President Obama was clear that the foundation’s programming will start this year. The couple will personally donate $2 million to the center right away so that they can start providing opportunities to people in the community.
“The best thing I can do is help prepare the next generation of leadership to take their own crack at changing the world,” Obama said during Wednesday’s announcement. “More than a library or museum, it will be a living, working center for citizenship.”
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And one of the best parts? Michelle’s wardrobe will be on display in the museum, because, as even President Obama knows, “Let’s face it. We all want to see Michelle’s dresses.”
