politics
Engineer Describes Design of Obama Presidential Center Tower
A structural engineer who worked on the upper section of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago said the design incorporated quotes from speeches. The 225-foot tower opened to the public on June 19, 2026.
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A structural engineer who worked on the upper section of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago said the design incorporated quotes from speeches delivered during two presidential terms. Chris Bird, a Washington, D.C.-based structural engineer, told Fox News Digital that the architects wanted to create a bold element at the top of the tower.
Bird designed the upper quadrant, which contains 91 words arranged in 433 individual letters, each about five feet tall.
The center opened to the public on June 19, 2026, on a 19.3-acre campus in Chicago's South Side. Visitors used words such as "phenomenal," "breathtaking," "amazing," "futuristic," and "unique" to describe the design. He stated that the landscape architecture and building together create a grand gesture.
"I think to say that it's a monstrosity is wrong. I would say that it's a really grand gesture and a bold statement," Bird said.
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