Obama's Presidential Library Will Be In Chicago, Says NBC News

By Lisa White in News on Apr 30, 2015 11:20PM



Obama was at a D.C. library today! (Getty Images)

According to NBC News' Andrea Mitchell, President Barack Obama's Presidential library will be built in Chicago. The final site has not been decided yet, but it is expected to have a connection to the University of Chicago, the front-runner throughout the process to woo the foundation to the Midwest. Other bids were offered from Columbia University in New York and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu as well as the University of Illinois at Chicago.

This would come as no surprise to most Chicagoans, especially after the resignation of Friends of the Parks president Cassandra Francis, one of the most outspoken groups when it came to the University of Chicago's South Side proposed library location. Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed suggested that the sudden resignation from Francis possibly sealed the deal in bringing the Obama library to Chicago, even stating that one of her top sources in the mayor's office said that with Francis gone the library would be a definite go.

Illinois lawmakers also fast tracked a bill last week that would make it easier for Chicago to build on parkland or “formerly submerged lands.” The Senate approved the bill 39-13 and the House approved with a 94-16 vote. State Senator Kwame Roul, who holds President Obama’s former seat, stated that “this bill, if passed, would send a strong message to the selection committee that there won't be any obstacles to the library being built on parkland.”

The Obama Library was also a polarizing topic during the mayoral runoff election, which postponed the decision when sources close to the foundation told the Associated Press that Obama did not want the library to become a mayoral campaign issue or give the impression that he was giving presidential support to Emanuel over Garcia. Mayor Emanuel has long been a vocal advocate for bringing the Obama library to Chicago, stating during his mayoral campaign that

"It can be on the South Side. It can be on the West Side, but it cannot be on the Upper West Side of Manhattan."

We'll have to wait to see which side of town the library does lay its foundation (we'd place a strong bet that University of Chicago will prevail with their South Side option) but it looks like the next Presidential library will call the Second City home.