Here’s a photo tour inside the Obama Presidential Center
The Chicago Sun-Times architecture columnist Lee Bey got an early first look at the Obama Presidential Center last week.
Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the center is a five-building complex. Two of the structures — the Forum and a new Chicago Public Library branch — sit south of the 225-foot Museum Tower beneath rolling parkland designed by New York landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.
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.
The museum tower stands tall on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
A detail shot of Nick Cave and Marie Watt’s collaboration, “This Land, Shared Sky,” shot through the bronze staircase in the museum’s Our Story Atrium on the Obama Presidential Center campus. The multimedia textile installation unites Indigenous and Black traditions through beaded nets and sculptural jingle elements.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
A replica of the Obama era Oval Office is featured in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Mark Bradford’s “City of the Big Shoulders” hangs on the wall in the museum’s Our Story Atrium on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side. The piece maps Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
A stairwell in the museum tower building on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side, Wednesday, May 26, 2026.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Details of Mark Bradford’s 3-story piece “City of the Big Shoulders” hanging in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus. The piece maps Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
The cafe in the Forum Building on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Concrete lettering from President Obama’s “You Are America” speech is a key feature of the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus. The 2015 speech marked the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
A seating area in the lower level of the Forum Building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Construction workers put the final touches on the courtyard Wednesday outside the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
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.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
The Hadiya Pendleton Atrium in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Portions of “Uprising of the Sun”, Julie Mehretu’s 83-foot-high stained glass installation, are visible from inside the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side. The piece is inspired by President Obama’s remarks at the 50th anniversary of the marches from Selma to Montgomery.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Concrete lettering from President Obama’s “You Are America” speech is a key feature of the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Light from at the northern courtyard pours onto the base of the a three-story bronze staircase in the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Custom acoustic paneling lines the Elie Wiesel Auditorium in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Visitors view the “Imagine Your Impact” exhibit in honor of Mae Jemison in the museum Wednesday on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
A tribute wall in the Forum building on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Nick Cave and Marie Watt’s collaboration, “This Land, Shared Sky,” hangs in the museum’s Hope and Change Lobby on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side. The multimedia textile installation unites Indigenous and Black traditions through beaded nets and sculptural jingle elements.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Concrete lettering from President Obama’s “You Are America” speech is a key feature of the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Concrete lettering from President Obama’s “You Are America” speech lines the Nelson Mandela Skyroom atop the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side. The 2015 speech marked the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Portions of “Uprising of the Sun”, Julie Mehretu’s 83-foot-high stained glass installation, are visible from inside the museum tower on the Obama Presidential Center campus.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Three silkscreen prints from Nicola Green’s “In Seven Days” are on display on the lower level of the museum tower at the Obama Presidential Center. The works is inspired by Obama’s historic 2008 presidential campaign.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Mark Bradford’s 3-story piece “City of the Big Shoulders” punctuates a seating area on the lower level of the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus. The piece maps Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
A view of the campus from the Nelson Mandela Skyroom atop the museum tower at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on the South Side.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
A bust of MLK is featured in a replica of the Obama era Oval Office is featured in the museum on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Jackson Park on the South Side.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
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