The Obama Foundation filed its plans for the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center with City Hall on Wednesday, and with the filing comes a new look at what the Jackson Park campus will look like pending approval.
The site map, models and renderings released today reveal some changes in the design from the initial plans released last May, and also reflect more recent developments—a proposal for an above-ground parking deck across Stony Island Avenue that had angered preservationists and area residents alike was scrapped earlier this week, with parking now moved below ground underneath the center’s primary footprint.
The most prominent architectural feature, known as the Museum Building, has grown taller and less monolithic than its initial design, with a more open facade for the 235-foot structure. The other main components of the center include the two-level Forum Building, which will house meeting and event spaces, a winter garden and a restaurant; a two-level Library Building; a public plaza; and an athletic center.
Pending further public meetings and approval by the Chicago Plan Commission, the Obama Foundation hopes to break ground later this year, with a targeted completion by 2021. Check out new images of the foundation’s plans below.
Illustration: courtesy Obama Foundation
Photograph: James Ewing
Photograph: James Ewing
Photograph: James Ewing
Illustration: courtesy Obama Foundation
Illustration: courtesy Obama Foundation
Illustration: courtesy Obama Foundation
Illustration: courtesy Obama Foundation