Obama Presidential Center Opens to Public on Juneteenth with Tickets Sold Out

The Obama Presidential Center is set to open to the public on Juneteenth, with ticket sales sold out through July 4. The 19.3-acre campus is a community-based center in Chicago's Jackson Park neighborhood. Officials sought to construct a community space rather than a traditional presidential library.

The project is the longest-delayed and most expensive presidential library in history. Its estimated cost rose from an initial $330 million to $850 million. The facility includes a 235-foot tower with a museum, foundation offices, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a Nike-backed athletic facility, an auditorium, a restaurant, public meeting spaces, a park, wetland area, vegetable garden and children's play areas.

The museum seeks to highlight experiences of the successes and challenges from the campaign trail through the administration. Officials said they want attendees to put the presidency in context. Four floors of curated exhibits cover stories of the former first couple, including the 2008 campaign slogan "Yes We Can," a replica of the Oval Office and an exhibit on fashion from the administration.

The campus includes nearly 30 pieces of newly commissioned artworks. It offers panoramic views of the South Side neighborhood and Lake Michigan from the Sky Room. Two exclusive short films are dedicated to campaign volunteers and Americans who wrote letters.

Ticketed entry is available through Nov. 30, with an expanding calendar of sales to follow. Pricing aligns with other Chicago cultural institutions. All other areas of the campus are free and do not require a ticket. Two touring options are offered.

Museum admission costs $30 for adults and $23 for children ages 11 and under, providing access to all four levels of the museum, the Oval Office replica and the Sky Room. The Campus Experience Tour is a 90-minute guided visit with museum priority entry and access to the Presidential Suite, priced between $75 and $95 depending on timing.

Discounted museum admission is available for state residents at $26 for adults and $15 for children. The center will participate in Illinois Resident Free Days, offering free admission to major Chicago museums with proof of residency. The opening weekend includes celebrations, performances and remarks tied to Juneteenth and the approach of the nation's semiquincentennial.

Attendance by all living presidents was announced for the dedication ceremony, excluding one former president. The ceremony is scheduled a few days after an event at the White House. The center is the latest presidential library to open, following selections of sites for future libraries by two other former presidents.