$850 million Obama Presidential Center prepares for opening

· DW

The museum dedicated to former US Presdient Barack Obama is set to open on June 19. Spanning 19.3 acres, the campus will house a museum, library, and park.

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is preparing to open its doors to the public on June 19.

The campus is situated in Chicago's South Side, where the Obama Foundation said the former US President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle's journey began.

The museum will charge a $30 admission fee but the campus is free to the publicImage: Khang Mischke/dpa/picture alliance

Campus free to the public, $30 admission to museum

It's been nicknamed the "Obamalisk" and has also been compared to a Star Wars spaceship.

The multi-purpose facility is set on 19.3 acres of land and houses a museum, library and an array of public spaces, free to the public, although "The Obama Burger" will set you back $15.50 (€13.30) and visitors to the Obama museum will have to pay an admission fee of $30, among the most expensive in the US.

The museum contains campaign memorabilia and items from Obama's presidency, while the campus features a community basketball court, public library and playground

"This is a safe space for people to come and, yes, reflect on the historic moments of this presidency and the campaigns, but also to come together as a community to think about what change you can bring to your own neighborhood," Josh Harris, the Obama Foundation's vice president of public engagement, said on a recent press tour.

The center will house part of Chicago's public city libraryImage: Paul Beaty/AP Photo/picture alliance

New addition to Chicago skyline

The granite obelisk, housing the museum, honoring the first Black US president, has perhaps caused the most controversy.

It's a 225-foot (69 meter), almost-windowless structure. Not everyone is taken by the new addition to the Chicago skyline, least of all President Donald Trump.

The project has come in at a whopping $850 million to buildImage: Erin Hooley/AP Photo/picture alliance

A longstanding critic of Obama, Trump has likened the museum to a trash can and has previously written it off as "a disaster" while blaming "woke" construction workers.

The Obama Presidential Center says the facility is "Designed to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world."

"The idea behind this institution, this campus, was to make it accessible to as many people as possible,” The Obama Foundation's Josh Harris said.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

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