Barack Obama presents the Obama Presidential Center

Former US president Barack Obama announces the June launch of the building designed to bear testimony to his administration and, as he expresses it, help gather together and empower those who want to turn hope into action. With the substantial backing of Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and Amazon founder Jezz Bezos- to the tune of $125 million and $100 million respectively - the striking $500-million+ construction project in Chicago has come under scrutiny for its funding and intention. Though each president from Herbert Hoover (31st) onwards has a presidential library operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Obama center parts company in significant ways: the 'New Model' library archive is purely digital, while the campus itself is privately operated, with a 70-meter museum tower, a library branch, and park. Lead architects Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners (TWBTA) say that while past presidential libraries 'have often emphasized story-telling – enshrining past achievements – the Obama Presidential Center will extend its reaches as a place for story-making'.

Keywords: Obama Presidential Center, US politics, presidential libraries, political archives, new model political centers, architects TWBTA