The Indicator from Planet Money · Friday, July 3, 2026
The Obama Presidential Center has opened on Chicago's South Side, near Hyde Park Academy. Despite its amenities like a sledding hill and state-of-the-art playground, the center, which cost around $850 million, has faced pushback from some residents concerned about gentrification and the use of parkland. Some students from the nearby school express worries about the rising cost of living in the neighborhood and its impact on their ability to attend the school.
“A few weeks ago, not so far from where I live, the Obama Presidential Center opened on the south side of Chicago.”
“But right across the street, Stony Island Avenue, from Hyde Park Academy, is the sprawling, ambitiously designed campus of the Obama Presidential Center.”
“There were people concerned that this big, shiny new campus to commemorate the Obama presidency would speed up the gentrification already happening on the South Side.”
“The Obama Center isn't a bad thing. It is truly a really good thing if it is used right. If it is prioritized for the people who live in that community.”