CHICAGO | Obama Presidential Library

[Busy Bee]

Just to clarify, these excellent pics are coming from the dude that hates this project right?

[Klippenstein]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Just to clarify, these excellent pics are coming from the dude that hates this project right?

Yes

[Busy Bee]

Well, bless his little soul.

[sentinel]

Building looks like an ancient mausoleum. That's not a compliment.

[nomarandlee]

Frederick Law Olmsted had visionary insight when he construed Jackson Park as the canvas for Obama to put his Library in.

[Toasty Joe]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Well, bless his little soul.

Lmao more people that hate new development should serve like this. If you're gonna be a pain in the ass might as well be useful

[Klippenstein]

Full Height plus site for the Home Court being dug up and the midway being grated and prepared for proper drainage and another playground.

Photo by Doug Shaeffer

[wanderer34]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_63rd_branch

https://www.chicago-l.org/articles/woodlawn1.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/...brary-project/

Now that the Obama Presidential Library looks to be a reality in years to come, what is going to be done to the Jackson Park branch of the L? If it were up to me, while there's already dedicated funding for the Red Line extension to 130th St via the Union Pacific ROW in the Far South Side, I'd hope that the city fo Chicago and IL could go for another set of funding just to restore the elevated ROW, as well as building new stations at University, Dorchester, and Jackson Park/Stony Island, the original stations that was erected with the Jackson Park Branch along with King Dr and Cottage Grove.

[DalronJ]

Although I'm upset it was allowed to be torn down, it should be rebuilt and extended down into Southshore. I wouldn't mind seeing a transition into underground at the vacant lots on 63rd street but then expenses increase substantially. Regardless it could spur increased zoning and the associated benefits.

[wanderer34]

I'm pretty sure that an East 63rd St branch extension would revive the old stops on University, Dorchester, and Jackson Park/Stony Island. Now sure what CTA's future plans are especially when construction of the Obama Library commences, but I'm hoping that the CTA can't least revive that stub, which many on here all agree should've never been demolished!

I don't believe that extending the Green Line to the South Shore is necessary, since Metra already has a commuter line that travels via 71st St and S Exchange Ave (https://www.google.com/maps/place/So...l=en&entry=ttu).

I'd also like to see the CTA revive stations along the Englewood branch at Racine and State, just to increase coverage as well as to serve the bus lines nearby. There should be another thread in the Chicago transportation page dedicated about reviving these future stops!

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

I'm pretty sure that an East 63rd St branch extension would revive the old stops on University, Dorchester, and Jackson Park/Stony Island. Now sure what CTA's future plans are especially when construction of the Obama Library commences, but I'm hoping that the CTA can't least revive that stub, which many on here all agree should've never been demolished!

I think it's unlikely that this ever gets rebuilt, nobody wants to re-open that debate. For a few years it was possible to build the extension in the alley north/south of 63rd, but now there is too much development on both sides of 63rd.

If they did build the extension, I think it would just be one stop at Dorchester with a Metra connection.

[OhioGuy]

Yeah I agree, re-extension of the line seems unlikely. I doubt many want the structure looming over the street again 3 decades after it was removed. At most, maybe a single track extension on a narrow concrete structure for quieter ops and less obtrusive structure to the streetscape could possibly work… but once one reaches Woodlawn Ave you have newish single family homes on both sides of the street. Overall it just seems unlikely an extension will happen. Better to just improve the Metra (and South Shore) service.

[Double L]

Since the Obama Presidential library needs to be built in Chicago, I believe they have picked the best possible location to place it, it is not too imposing on the landscape of the city, it is placed on transit so you can reach it and is juxtaposed to the south side of Chicago, which is a nod to Michelle Obama’s roots. I believe it is well designed, fits in well with the campus and features a viewing deck of the city. Chicago residents should be open to progress and change, I believe it is a good project.

[Busy Bee]

The best location is the lakefront. It's always been the lakefront. It doesn't negate the positives the Washington Park site had, it's just that the Jackson Park choice is better by nearly every metric. I believe once this monument is complete people that were critical and/or skeptical will get it.

[Klippenstein]

• Video Link

I wanted to share this video with Doug because he's complaining a lot about the use of styrofoam/geofoam on the site. I know it's a fool's errand though and I realized you all might appreciate it if you're like me and don't have an engineering background. Practical Engineering does a great job of explaining the uses for lightweight fill like geofoam as seen being used on the Obama center campus.


Photo by Doug Shaeffer

[r18tdi]

Geofoam has been used extensively (and successfully) at Millennium Park, Maggie Daly Park, and Cascade Park. At this point it shouldn't be controversial.

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I think it's unlikely that this ever gets rebuilt, nobody wants to re-open that debate. For a few years it was possible to build the extension in the alley north/south of 63rd, but now there is too much development on both sides of 63rd.

If they did build the extension, I think it would just be one stop at Dorchester with a Metra connection.

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

Yeah I agree, re-extension of the line seems unlikely. I doubt many want the structure looming over the street again 3 decades after it was removed. At most, maybe a single track extension on a narrow concrete structure for quieter ops and less obtrusive structure to the streetscape could possibly work… but once one reaches Woodlawn Ave you have newish single family homes on both sides of the street. Overall it just seems unlikely an extension will happen. Better to just improve the Metra (and South Shore) service.

https://www.transitchicago.com/fares/

https://metra.com/sites/default/file...Zone%20Map.pdf

https://metra.com/2024FareChart

It would be about $2.50 if you took the train from the Loop to nearby Jackson Park and a $5 CTA day pass, as opposed to a $3.75 one way ticket from the Loop to the South Side via Metra, and $7.50 for a Metra day pass. Yes, there's the 59th & the 63rd St Stations that's located at the vicinity, but considering the price for each Metra ticket, and the frequency that the Metra trains operate as opposed to the 10-15 minute frequency that CTA operates, it would make more common sense for the Jackson Park El to come back.

The single family homes that were built along 63rd St east of Woodland poses a "chicken and egg" problem in that, for many years prior to 1995, the Jackson Park El went to Jackson Park before meeting it's untimely demise. It may be more feasible to connect the El to the 63rd St Station at Dorchester, but since there's now a major site nearby 63rd & Stony Island, why not extend the el to that site?

[Klippenstein]

This project moves so slow I'm not sure if it's worth posting, but it's been a little while so why not. You can see the core (?) of the Home Court rising above the ground level. And there's a french drain being installed to deal with the flooding on the midway. I'm really curious to see how well that will work because that area is constantly flooding.


Photo by Doug Shaeffer

[r18tdi]

Some nice construction shots from Field Condition on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-2pKRCuVXg/

[Jstange059]

August 21st