CHICAGO | Obama Presidential Library

[ithakas]

Always worth waiting for the finished project to pass judgment.

We're talking about a Julie Mehretu artwork embedded in a Tod Williams and Billie Tsien building.

These people aren't hacks, and this is probably the most high-profile project either will ever work on.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by ithakas

Always worth waiting for the finished project to pass judgment.

We're talking about a Julie Mehretu artwork embedded in a Tod Williams and Billie Tsien building.

These people aren't hacks, and this is probably the most high-profile project either will ever work on.

No one is saying these designers and artists are hacks; quite the contrary if you read my post.

[r18tdi]

Via Block Club, in case any forumers wanted to give us a photo tour:

Obama Center Offering Free Campus Tours Ahead Of Its 2026 Opening
Anyone can walk up and explore the site while asking questions of Obama Foundation officials during the tours, held monthly through November.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by cloudbod

https://youtu.be/uuHCQN2LL3g?si=bsr0tWJXwqAcaPeQ&t=239

What kind of architectural style is this? I feel like I'm getting to see the building we never actually get to see in the Brutalist.

Haven't been to Chicago since 2014 when I took the Amtrak there from Rugby, ND. Will definitely visit the Obama Presidential Library when I finally get back to Chicago.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

What kind of architectural style is this? I feel like I'm getting to see the building we never actually get to see in the Brutalist.

Haven't been to Chicago since 2014 when I took the Amtrak there from Rugby, ND. Will definitely visit the Obama Presidential Library when I finally get back to Chicago.

That's a very good question. Williams and Tsien's architecture is interesting because it doesn't adhere to a specific 'type'; their designs are driven by function, need and providing considerably effective views and sightlines. But they also have a consistent usage of stone, mansonry, and very deliberate vision glazing placements. A lot of their exteriors are very earthen, almost like seeing layers and layers in an archaeological dig. I would call their work 'tectonic' because of how they create the exterior massings, and the materiality of their forms (I feel like I've seen that description before, but can't remember).

[Kenmore]

everything about this sucks imo

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Kenmore

everything about this sucks imo

Concise and reductive lol. Buuuut…yeah, I get it, sadly :/

[Klippenstein]

Not really. This part of the park is going to be beautiful when it's finished. Not really worried about what you all think. Try to enjoy it if you're able.



Photo by Doug Shaeffer

[Chi-Sky21]

i will reserve judgement until it is finished. I think the top southwest corner could have been more open looking but not a big deal.

[cloudbod]

Originally Posted by Kenmore

everything about this sucks imo

Couldn't disagree more. It's a monumental addition that improves Jackson Park both in terms of urbanism (removing a road slicing thru the otherwise-quiet wooded island area) and in terms of free usability by the public (observation deck, ball court, etc). It'll be a landmark for Hyde Park and the students at UChicago, who I think will really get a lot of use out of it

The architectural style is also super unique and weird-- it's like if a brutalist skyscraper was constructed by some ancient granite-masoning civilization. I think people will really dig it once it's complete and the trees start maturing around it.

[Jstange059]

Many iconic structures start of being hated or extremely controversial, but once they've stood in the area for several years, people won't be able to imagine the area without it, and it'll gradually becomes an icon of the area. I expect this will be the trajectory of this building.

And for what it's worth, I quite like it.

[southoftheloop]

Yes - this will look terrific as the park takes form around it. A monumental structure

[Busy Bee]

I still feel like it should look more like this:


_ _ _

[bhawk66]

^^^ Clever

[Klippenstein]

Photo by Doug Shaeffer

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by southoftheloop

Yes - this will look terrific as the park takes form around it. A monumental structure

Exactly. Which is arguably the problem.

[dewbs]

Article on an art news website discussing the range of artists, beyond Julie Mehretu, who have been confirmed to be contributing (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/obama-center-artist-commissions-2686280):

The latest artists to be named for the campus-wide art program are Nick Cave, Nekisha Durrett, Jenny Holzer, Jules Julien, Idris Khan, Aliza Nisenbaum, Jack Pierson, Alison Saar, Kiki Smith, and Marie Watt....

Aartists previously picked... include Spencer Finch, Richard Hunt, Maya Lin, and Julie Mehretu...

Idris Khan is creating for the top floor of the center’s museum... words and phrases from President Obama’s 2015 speech on the 50th anniversary of the March from Selma to Montgomery, and they will be carved into the facade of the building near the top, acting as a kind of screen for the large windows.

In addition to the landscaping, art on the exterior may help soften some of the edges of the building. A lot of the artists listed are sculptors. The Idris Khan part is presumably what's visible in the view from the north posted a while back:


Personally I can't stand text art and I feel like all it does is cheapen the original text (Jenny Holzer being the worst offender on that count), but all of this stuff will add depth, especially at ground level as opposed to drone shots, to what currently looks like a monolith.

[ardecila]

LOL I thought it was Jenny Holzer doing the screen wall at the Obama Center.

I dunno if I hate it, the graphic design and typography (Shepard Fairey! Gotham!) was such an important part of the Obama campaigns so it make sense for the architecture to reflect that in some way.

I'm a little concerned about the screen wall in Chicago's climate though, if that is stone or concrete, looks like it will be destroyed by freeze/thaw with no effective way to keep rain and snow off of the letterforms.

[dewbs]

Oh man, maybe I just misunderstood and that's what we'll get. To be fair, it will at least be an improvement on "you are beautiful".

[sammyg]

Are they already working on the interiors of the smaller buildings? I don't see this thing being ready to open by 2026.