Expected site is at University of Chicago, where president taught before becoming a senator, on land pre-approved by city council for the purpose

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Barack Obama’s presidential library will be built in his hometown of Chicago, beating out proposals by New York City and Hawaii to host the facility, according to media reports.



A proposal from the University of Chicago – where Obama was a law professor and near where he has a home on the city’s South Side – was expected to be chosen by his foundation, NBC News said.

The Associated Press said two officials with knowledge of the decision confirmed the library would be in Chicago. Chicago ABC station WLS-TV also reported it would be built on the South Side of the city near the university.



Obama grew up in Hawaii and attended Columbia University in New York as an undergraduate.

In March the Chicago city council, hoping to boost the chances of landing the library, unanimously approved the use of land in two parks near the president’s home. It was not immediately clear which University of Chicago parcel had been chosen by the foundation.

The land is near the University of Chicago and would be transferred if the school’s bid for the presidential library is accepted. Obama taught at the university before his election to the US Senate in 2004.



The University of Illinois at Chicago also had a proposal for the library that did not require a land transfer.

Obama, a Democrat, is due to leave office in January 2017 after two terms in the White House. His supporters launched the foundation in January 2014 to plan the library’s construction.



Representatives for the foundation and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff, could not be reached for comment on Thursday evening.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report