Construction update Jan. 2023: Mild weather makes for a strong start to the year

A building being constructed of concrete at the Obama Presidential Center. Beams and rebar can be seen in scaffolding. A worker is wearing orange and working in the background. The sky is gray.

January 26, 2023

Today, the Lakeside Alliance, builder of the Obama Presidential Center, released its 2022 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report (Opens in a new tab) (Opens in a new tab). Read the report to see how the Obama Foundation and the Alliance are working together to transform construction in Chicago and beyond.

January 18, 2023

Construction at the Obama Presidential Center has picked up considerably since the holidays, aided by the unseasonably mild weather. Concrete floors, columns, and walls are being poured at the Museum, Forum, and Library buildings. The elevator and stairwells can now be seen rising above the construction fence surrounding the site, rising up to around the fourth level, which is one of the Museum exhibit floors.

Additionally, both levels of the underground parking garage have been completed toward the south end of the campus. Work is still being done on the outside walls of the garage and upper level columns will be installed to support the roof of the structure in the Spring. The garage roof will eventually be covered by the Great Lawn—set to be the best sledding hill on the South Side.

A building being constructed of concrete at the Obama Presidential Center. Beams and rebar can be seen in scaffolding. A worker is wearing orange and working in the background. The sky is gray.

January 6, 2023

At the end of 2022, progress towards ambitious workforce and business diversity goals for construction reflected the following:

  • 53 percent of construction contracts have been awarded to diverse vendors.

  • 31 percent of the workforce hired live in the South and West Sides of Chicago.

  • 228 candidates in jobs around the city.

Help build the Obama Presidential Center

Your donation makes it possible for us to build a world-class museum, library, and gathering spaces on Chicago’s South Side.

Donate to the Barack Obama Foundation. The Barack Obama Foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 46-4950751).

3D rendering of the Obama Presidential Center Plaza

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Construction update October 2024: Concrete is complete at the Obama Presidential Center

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Construction update May 2023: concrete on repeat

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Construction update April 2023: meeting a parking garage milestone

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Construction update March 2023: Library and Forum trade work begins

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Construction update Jan. 2023: mild weather and a strong start to 2023

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