Just when you thought the State of Illinois didn’t have two spare pennies to rub together, Springfield is sending a big fat gym bag full of cash to the Windy City to help make its former hometown President’s project a reality.
Rendering of the Obama Presidential Center promenade (Courtesy of the Obama Foundation)
The state, which was named America’s Most Messed Up State by CNN Money, is sending Chicago a $180 million grant from the road fund to pay for infrastructure projects. 97% of those tax dollars will be used for roadwork related to the new Obama Presidential Center, according to the Sun-Times.
The Center will eat eight acres of Chicago public streets, including parts of Cornell and Marquette Drives.
At this point, the project appears to be a fait accompli, with just a few perfunctory federal hoops to jump through before construction can begin. The center is expected to have a $2 billion impact on Chicago’s south side. The Obama Foundation hopes to break ground later this year, and have the project completed by 2021.
Location: 6225 South Stony Island Avenue, East Hyde Park
Editor founded the Chicago Architecture Blog in 2003, after a long career in journalism. He can be reached at chicagoarchitectureinfo@gmail.com.
