CHICAGO | Obama Presidential Library

[Mr Downtown]

Obama Center design team plans changes for proposed garage

The Obama Center design team has been reworking plans for a proposed controversial garage on a portion of the historic Midway Plaisance, across the street from where the presidential complex is to be built in Jackson Park.

“There will be some changes,” Michael Strautmanis, the Obama Foundation’s Vice President for Civic Engagement told the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday. There now are some “new ideas” on the drawing board, he said.

When I left off on this story in November, Tod Williams, one of the architects, said relocating the garage was under consideration, given the concerns of community groups for the historic publicly owned Midway property.

Williams noted some options in November: Putting the 450-car garage underground at the Midway site — Stony Island between 59th and 60th — or under the Obama complex, or finding another place to put it.

The design team now has developed design options along the lines Williams noted. Their plans are evolving at the same time as the opposition against the use of this portion of the Midway for a garage has become more organized and hardened in the past months.

Given that backdrop, the Foundation has invited about 50 interested parties — friends and foes — for a private presentation at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 . . .

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/sweet-obama-center-design-team-plans-changes-for-proposed-garage/