News

Inside Obama’s presidential museum opening this month: The cost, the books and a beehive

Inside Obama’s presidential museum opening this month: The cost, the books and a beehive

The Obama Presidential Center is seen Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Chicago. Photo: Associated Press/Erin Hooley


Chicago, IL (AP) – The Obama Presidential Center will open June 19, more than a decade after the former president chose his hometown of Chicago for the project. The museum displays campaign memorabilia and presidential artifacts, while its campus showcases a new community basketball court, public library and playground.

A look at the numbers behind the former President Barack Obama’s presidential museum.

$850 million

The approximate cost to build the 225-foot-tall (70-meter-tall) museum tower and nearly 20-acre (8-hectare) campus, which the Obama Foundation is paying for with private donations. The cost ballooned from the initial estimates of $350 million.

600,000

The number of projected annual visitors to the admission-based museum. As many as 1 million people are expected to visit the free amenities on the campus each year.

3,500

The approximate number of book titles the Obamas personally selected for the “Presidential Reading Room” in a new public library branch on campus.

440

The number of different campaign buttons on display from Obama’s campaigns, including those designed for individual states.

28

The number of commissioned works of art from 30 different artists.

1

The number of beehives on campus. An apiary is part of the gardens and extensive landscaping on campus.

Recent Headlines

23 hours ago in Entertainment

‘Scary Movie’ tops box office, slaying ‘Masters of the Universe’ and adding to low-budget streak

The summer box office is booming — but not because of the usual suspects. After three weeks of indie horror dominance at the box office, the slasher spoof "Scary Movie" topped ticket sales with $55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily besting the far-from-mighty "Masters of the Universe."

23 hours ago in Sports, Trending

Carolina trails Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final and has a big decision to make for Game 4

A sequence of events in a Stanley Cup Final that has gotten crazier by the minute has put the Carolina Hurricanes at a crossroads. They blew a two-goal lead and lost Game 1, erased a two-goal deficit and won Game 2, and rallied from down four goals in Game 3, only to lose in double overtime on a fluky bounce.

23 hours ago in Entertainment, Trending

Tony winners thank voice teachers and babysitters as Broadway crowns ‘Schmigadoon!’

The most infectiously joyous of awards shows, the Tonys often feel like a summer camp reunion — make that a theater camp reunion — except with tuxedoes and gowns replacing the shorts and tees.