Posted on 05/24/2026 5:46:48 AM PDT by Libloather
The Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening next month will bring major road closures, Secret Service security and a massive public watch party to Hyde Park and Woodlawn, foundation officials said Monday.
**SNIP**
While the audience expressed excitement for much of the evening, the center’s impact on free street parking drew the loudest criticisms. Ronnissa Laster, a longtime Woodlawn resident and avowed Obama supporter, said living near the construction site for years had been “terrible” for parking and worried that the opening would make things worse.
Yancy, whose ward encompasses the center, acknowledged the difficulties the center had created, telling the audience that the Chicago Department of Transportation will conduct a parking study to explore permit parking options for the neighborhood. He asked residents to email his office at ward05@cityofchicago.org as problems arise.
The underground campus garage has space for 400 vehicles, 20 EV charging stations and charges a fee for entry. Harris conceded it wasn’t enough to accommodate the expected 700,000 annual visitors but said the center has been encouraging people to take rideshares or public transit.
To facilitate that, Harris said the foundation was working with Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority to increase service to the area, including by extending the No. 10 bus, which runs from the Gold Coast to the Museum of Science and Industry, to reach the center on a permanent basis.
Strautmanis asked the audience to think of the unprecedented number of tourists to the area as a positive and a potential opportunity.
“We’re going to bring millions of people into this neighborhood and community and shine a spotlight on this beautiful neighborhood,” he said. “And the spotlight should move beyond the four corners of our campus and shine on everything that you can see from the top of the museum.”
(Excerpt) Read more at hpherald.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Ugly isn’t a strong-enough word.
“...living near the construction site for years had been ‘terrible’ for parking and worried that the opening would make things worse.”
Well 0bama made everything worse, so it’s all on track!
WWII Nazi flak tower or North Korean guard tower are the similar structures I’ve seen mentioned.
“...the expected 700,000 annual visitors...”
Mostly involuntary school children.
Made to look like a castle where Obama is king. Trump should not put down the architecture. Instead he should say how much faster and cheaper he could have done it. 10 years after the Kenyan left office.
Wouldn’t it be funny if Trump started on his own library when he left office the first time? Competing house warmings.
I like the gun platforms. Guessing it will always operate in the red.
Just wait till the rebar rusts and rec streaks develop on the facade
The smoking lamp is lit!
Looks like an alter to worship Gog if you ask me
I hope the place was put together with the best of their DEI grifters.
If they are smart, they will cancel all bus service to the area or they may get inundated with “youths”.
Should that be black smoke rolling out the top? Or only when they are there. 😊👍
Is this Barry Soetoro’s Wookie out house?
“The Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening next month”. I sure would like to visit, I want to take a giant dump in the magic one’s multi-story outhouse.
Indeed.....very suitable for the honoree.
As far as I know, the racial discrimination lawsuit is still open for the improperly spaced rebar.
Obama center contractor’s $40M lawsuit calls engineering firm racist
(That’s Bunny, my chauffeur.)
Secret Service security brings lawn chairs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.