The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago officially opens its doors on June 18. Housed in a large concrete tower, it shows off the Democrat’s career and achievements and includes a full-scale replica of the Oval Office.
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The Obama Presidential Center was built in Jackson Park on Lake Michigan, in Chicago’s South Side. The location is significant: Obama’s wife, Michelle, grew up in the area, the couple married there and daughters Malia and Sasha were born in Chicago. Barack Obama also taught at the University of Chicago for 12 years.
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Barack Obama’s political career and achievements are exhibited in the interactive museum and library: how he began his career in Chicago, helped socially disadvantaged people, entered Congress in Washington as a Democratic senator and governed the country for eight years as the first Black US president.
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The building itself has caused a stir even before the opening. Almost windowless, the 69-meter (225-foot) gray, granite obelisk has already been compared to a spaceship and the Eye of Sauron from “The Lord of the Rings.” It’s been nicknamed “Obamalisk,” and President Donald Trump — certainly no friend of Obama — has even compared it to a trash can filled with garbage.
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Larger-than-life statues of the Obamas greet visitors at the entrance. With the construction of the museum, Obama is continuing a decades-long tradition: since Franklin D. Roosevelt, other presidents such as Harry S. Truman and George Bush have also built their own presidential libraries. Trump is also already thinking ahead to his legacy — not a museum, but a hotel in Miami.
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The Obama Presidential Center is also not a presidential library in the truest sense. Instead of archives full of documents, high-tech and hands-on exhibits highlight the 64-year-old’s career and achievements — such as the restructuring of healthcare which became known as Obamacare, or the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.
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Visitors can snap a photo in an exact replica of Obama’s office, complete with the former president’s beloved BlackBerry phone tucked away in a drawer. “We want to make sure that people from all walks of life have the opportunity to sit behind the Resolute Desk,” said Josh Harris, of the Obama Foundation. Obama’s minimalist design stands in stark contrast to Trump’s current gold-accented office.
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Dresses worn by the former first lady are also on display. However, Obama’s missteps and controversial decisions, such as the move to tap former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone, are not mentioned. Nor are the targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan by US drones, condemned as a violation of international law, or the deportations of millions of people from the US during his two terms in office.
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In addition to the museum, the approximately 8-hectare (20-acre) campus also includes a large playground, a forum, a multipurpose hall and a new branch of Chicago Public Library. The construction of the center cost around $850 million (€730 million) and was financed by donations, including from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and the foundation of billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates.
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The Obama Foundation, which is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the museum, has emphasized that the campus aims to stimulate development in the disadvantaged neighborhood. Jackson Park is mainly home to African Americans, many who live below the poverty line. The foundation hopes it will bring new jobs — but locals fear being pushed out by rising rents.
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