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By Amanda Castro
Associate News Editor
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Thursday’s grand opening ceremony of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is underway with a full list of entertainers set to perform.
The event marks the formal debut of a long‑anticipated cultural and civic landmark, which opens to the public on Juneteenth. Thousands of invited guests, local residents, and viewers at a free watch party will be affected as the South Side prepares for a major influx of visitors and national attention.
The ceremony began at 11 a.m. CT with Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem.
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Who is in Attendance?
Barack and Michelle Obama gave remarks about the center. Former presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with former first ladies Jill Biden, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, who served as Obama's Secretary of State, will also be among the attendees.
Attendees included California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, both potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders; civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Al Sharpton; Oprah Winfrey; comedians David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert; actor Tom Hanks; tennis legend Billie Jean King; and Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts.
Former world leaders in attendance included former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
President Donald Trump did not attend the event and described the $850 million center as a “total disaster” in a February social media post.
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What is the Barack Obama Presidential Center?
The Barack Obama Presidential Center is a new museum, library, and community campus rising in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side. Built in partnership with the University of Chicago, the center will house exhibitions, community spaces, a Chicago Public Library branch, and the nonprofit Obama Foundation’s headquarters. It is also the first presidential library to operate under a fully digital model, with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserving and digitizing Obama-era documents off‑site.
As many as 1 million people are expected to visit the center's 20-acre campus each year.
Obama personally shaped many of the center’s design details, from the textured stone used on the museum’s 225-foot tower to high-backed reading chairs inside the library. One of his more lighthearted additions is a set of publicly accessible charcoal grills—an idea he floated at a 2017 community meeting that drew warm laughter from local residents.
“We don’t have any folks who grill here?” Obama said at the time. “I thought this was the South Side of Chicago.”
Construction began in 2021. The museum’s tower and nearly 20-acre campus cost about $850 million to build, according to the Obama Foundation, which funded the project through private donations. Initial estimates had put the cost at roughly $350 million.
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Who is Performing at the Ceremony?
The Obama Foundation announced a star‑studded lineup spanning genres and generations. Scheduled performers include:
- The Roots
- Bruce Springsteen
- Christina Aguilera
- Common
- Eddie Vedder
- Jennifer Hudson
- John Legend
- Stevie Wonder
- Marc Anthony
- Bono and The Edge of U2
- Tems
- Marsai Martin (actress and producer)
The ceremony is invite‑only, but the foundation is hosting a free public watch party on the Midway Plaisance beginning at 9 a.m.
How Many Presidential Libraries Are There?
There are 16 official presidential libraries in the United States, all overseen by NARA’s Office of Presidential Libraries. These facilities preserve documents, artifacts, and historical materials from every president since Herbert Hoover.
They serve as both archives and museums, offering public programs, exhibitions, and access to research.
Which US Presidents Have Presidential Libraries?
Under the NARA system, the following presidents have official presidential libraries:
- Herbert Hoover – West Branch, Iowa
- Franklin D. Roosevelt – Hyde Park, New York
- Harry S. Truman – Independence, Missouri
- Dwight D. Eisenhower – Abilene, Kansas
- John F. Kennedy – Boston, Massachusetts
- Lyndon B. Johnson – Austin, Texas
- Richard Nixon – Yorba Linda, California
- Gerald Ford – Ann Arbor & Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Jimmy Carter – Atlanta, Georgia
- Ronald Reagan – Simi Valley, California
- George H. W. Bush – College Station, Texas
- Bill Clinton – Little Rock, Arkansas
- George W. Bush – Dallas, Texas
- Barack Obama – Digital library administered by NARA
- Donald J. Trump – Digital library administered by NARA
- Joseph R. Biden Jr. – Digital library administered by NARA
The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is separate from the Obama Presidential Library, which remains a digital NARA facility.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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