The Barack Obama Presidential Center officially opened in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday evening with a three-hour celebration attended by thousands of guests, including former U.S. presidents, world leaders, and celebrities. The event marked the beginning of a three-day opening festivities coinciding with the Juneteenth holiday.
Among the VIPs were former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden, along with their spouses; former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Musicians Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen also performed. Notably, current U.S. President Donald Trump did not attend, maintaining his pattern of hostile rhetoric toward his predecessor.
In his keynote speech, Barack Obama emphasized the importance of democracy and civic participation, stating: "I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious, our democracy truly is, and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens." He warned that losing faith in democracy opens the door "to the most ruthless, or the most careless, or the most fearful among us."
Former First Lady Michelle Obama praised her husband's leadership, saying: "With grace and class and cool, you made the hardest job in the world look like a walk in this beautiful park." She added that "a lasting legacy isn't in a war, or a name on a building, or the number of zeros in a bank account. It's about the difference we make in one another's lives."
The $850 million (€742 million) facility, funded by the non-profit Obama Foundation, includes a public library, museum, performing arts hall, and an athletic center with a basketball court. It is situated on a 19.3-acre (7.8-hectare) landscaped site in Chicago's historic Jackson Park, near the University of Chicago Law School, where Obama taught for 12 years. The location underscores the Obamas' commitment to Chicago's South Side.
The eight-story building, designed by New York-based Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, has received mixed architectural reviews, with its granite-clad monolithic silhouette compared to everything from a Star Wars spaceship to a "garbage can" (Trump). It is also nicknamed "the Obamalisk." The center is expected to attract between 750,000 and one million visitors annually.
Source: www.dw.com