Obama Presidential Center opens as a digital-first, community-focused museum in Chicago

Opening Juneteenth, the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago unveils an $850 million, nearly 20-acre campus that prioritizes a fully digital, paper-free museum experience. Highlights include a life-sized Oval Office replica, a basketball court, a garden and grills, a reading room with thousands of books, and personal touches like ballgowns and fabric swatches. Exhibits cover Obama’s campaigns, the Affordable Care Act, immigration, and notable moments such as Obama singing in 2015. The center blends art and reflection with public space and community programs; most of the campus is free, while four floors of the museum tower require tickets, at $30, making it one of the costlier presidential museums in the U.S. The facility aims to be accessible, educational, and a space for civic engagement rather than a traditional archive.