Tour inside the Obama Presidential Center before the grand opening
USA TODAY reporter Kinsey Crowley explored the new Barack Obama Presidential Center ahead of its June 19 grand opening.
- The Obama Presidential Center opened to the public on June 19th.
- The opening weekend included dancing and garden tours.
- See what locals and visitors thought of this center.
CHICAGO – It’s opening day for the Obama Presidential Center.
At the opening ceremony on June 18, the chairs of the 3,000 attendees magically emptied overnight, followed by DJ sets, dancing, and long lines for photos in front of the statues of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
USA TODAY spoke with people who traveled from Texas, Georgia, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, Jamaica and more, as well as Chicagoans who came to see the long-awaited center’s gates open. However, tickets for the museum were long sold out by the weekend before it opened. In fact, tickets are sold out until November.
The Obama Foundation emphasized that the more than 19-acre campus, which includes the Chicago Public Library, athletic center, and civic center, is intended to be a hub for the community. On June 19, for the first time, area residents were able to use the playground, tour the gardens and race down the sledding hill.
We would like to introduce the impressions of visitors on the first day of opening.
Video: Crowds fill the square for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center over the weekend
Crowds pack Chicago campus as Obama Presidential Center opens
Crowds packed the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, with long lines and tickets to the museum sold out through November.
Visitor reaction to Obama Center opening
Christine Duras traveled from Texas to Chicago with her sister and niece for the annual “Diva Trip.”
They waited in long lines to see the Chicago Public Library branch on campus and seemed content not to tour ticketed museums on this trip.
“It’s opening day at the Obama Library, how could I miss it?” she said. “We just like experiencing the atmosphere. It was exactly the same at both inaugurations that we all went to…people are so friendly and free and nice and happy.”
Some, like local Chicago Southsider Brendia Bell. She received advice from a botanist stationed at the orchard before sharing her thoughts on the new center with USA TODAY.
“I couldn’t have imagined this in my head about eight years ago, or maybe even when he was first elected…I’m just excited,” she said before getting teary-eyed. She explained that her father grew up during the Jim Crow era and never got to see the center come back to life. “I’m just overwhelmed. It’s such a beautiful day in Chicago. It’s so beautiful. It’s so diverse. We all need and want the same thing, and that’s to be loved. And this is love.”
Not all locals love the center, which has redirected traffic and relocated Jackson Park itself. A Chicago-based nonprofit organization called Protect Our Parks filed a lawsuit seeking to block construction of the historic site, but the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. The center also faced concerns from some community groups that its presence would result in higher prices for residents. The foundation promotes its investment in the community through an estimated 750,000 annual campus visitors and 300 permanent jobs. The Chicago City Council also passed a neighborhood affordable housing ordinance.
But others who took part in the “Diva’s Journey” felt the center’s opening was historic. A mother who was touring the premises with her child seemed to be receptive to the message that the opening day was a “once in a lifetime” experience.
The packed Juneteenth crowd was just the beginning of a weekend of events that included crafts, tours and other music.
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), thread, blue sky and TikTok.
