Obama Presidential Center grand opening slated for Juneteenth weekend in Chicago
Obama Presidential Center to open Juneteenth weekend
We're learning when the Obama Presidential Center will open in Jackson Park.
CHICAGO - The grand opening for the Obama Presidential Center will be held on Juneteenth weekend later this year on Chicago’s South Side.
The grand opening celebrations for the 19.3-acre campus in Jackson Park will be held between June 18 and June 21, according to the Obama Foundation.
What we know:
In a post on social media, President Obama, who started his career in Chicago before being elected as a state lawmaker and a U.S. senator from Illinois, said "we can’t wait" for the public to be able to see the center.
"It is easy to look around right now and feel like the challenges we face are simply too big. But hope is not about ignoring the hard stuff," Obama said in a statement. "It is that thing inside us that insists something better awaits if we are willing to work for it. Here on the South Side of Chicago, hope is getting a permanent home. Starting on June 19, you can visit the Obama Presidential Center. This is not a monument to the past; it is a living destination for people who refuse to accept the status quo. If you feel that way, this is your invitation to join us."
Former US president Barack Obama speaks at a public memorial service to celebrate the life of civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson in Chicago, Illinois, on March 6, 2026. Veteran US civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the nat
The center, which will house a museum, playground, spaces for public programming, public art and a branch of the Chicago Public Library, has been under construction for years.
It’s also faced lawsuits and delays, as well as concerns from nearby residents about rising rents and developers taking over their apartment buildings.
City officials said the center is expected to draw 700,000 visitors every year, more than $3 billion in "economic impact," and more than 5,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.
Here is the general schedule of events for the grand opening celebrations:
- June 18: Dedication ceremony on the John Lewis Plaza. Performances and remarks will be livestreamed.
- June 19: Campus and museum open to the public
- June 20 and 21: Community celebrations throughout the campus
Work continues on the Obama Presidential Center on Jan. 13, 2026, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Tickets to the center’s museum will be made available in May. The Obama Foundation said ticket prices "will be in line with other Chicago cultural institutions." Entry to the museum will require a timed ticket but other areas of the campus will be free and accessible to the public.
"This grand opening is just the beginning," said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation and an advisor in the Obama administration. "The Obama Presidential Center is about the everyday people who make our democracy work, not just those we see in the headlines."
The other side:
Tenants at Chaney Braggs Apartments, at 65th Street and Stony Island Avenue, held a rally Thursday morning, protesting possible rent increases and the threat of losing their homes as construction continues at the Obama Presidential Center a few blocks away.
Residents say a California investor wants to buy the building and either gut and rehab it or demolish it.
According to tenants, the buyer is offering a $2,000 cash payment for each family to move out.
RELATED: Residents form union over rent hike near Obama Presidential Center
Most tenants currently pay $700 to $800 a month in rent, and many have lived in the building for 30 or even 40 years. The proposed deal has left families worried about finding another affordable place in Woodlawn.