Obama chooses historic Jackson Park as library site

By Kathy Bergen, Blair Kamin and Katherine Skiba
Cityscapes

JULY 27, 2016, 1:45 PM

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have selected historic Jackson Park, just east of the University of Chicago, as the site for the Obama Presidential Center, a source confirmed Wednesday. A formal announcement is expected next week.

Martin Nesbitt, chairman of the Obama Foundation, declined to confirm or deny that the library would go to Jackson Park. He said his staff was in the process of scheduling a day to make the announcement but would not say if it was imminent.

In choosing Jackson Park over Washington Park, the other finalist site, the Obamas have opted for the less challenging of the two options. Both gracious South Side parks were designed by legendary 19th century landscape designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, but the Jackson Park site is cloaked in a more powerful collection of assets.

Located near the Museum of Science and Industry, the lakefront and the eastern edge of the University of Chicago campus, the site allows for the creation of a museum campus in the heart of the park, accented by an existing lagoon, lush woods and greenery. The winding 543-acre park is an oasis on the South Side. The center would be a short hop to either Lake Shore Drive or to two Metra train stations, strong pulls for visitors.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]