Before I started writing at PJ Media, I spent about 15 years as an architectural designer. I never really loved the work, mostly because I never worked at a firm that tackled the kind of big, ambitious projects that really excited me. But even if I had, there's one project I would've hated regardless: the Obama Presidential Center. And trust me, it’s not just because it's Obama's vanity project.
Barack Obama is trying to do damage control over his disastrous presidential center that’s centered around one of the ugliest buildings ever created for a president.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) December 26, 2025
A tour guide for the complex says the main building has few windows in order to protect artwork inside. That has… pic.twitter.com/KgfiC8ZyGx
The building is hideous.
The Obama Presidential Center is a 225-foot-tall gray monstrosity rising on Chicago's South Side, and it looks more like a prison than a museum. The project has been divisive even before people knew how hideous it would be, and now Chicago residents will be stuck with a big, grey eyesore in their neighborhood. It may be the perfect metaphor for Obama’s presidency, but it’s architecturally offensive, and I almost have to think the Obamas can’t be happy with it, but are stuck pretending to love it.
Well, after all these years of people trashing the design, the Obama Center is speaking out against the backlash.
The Obama Presidential Center is breaking its silence after years of criticism over its unconventional design, with an Obama Foundation official now addressing public questions about the project.
Construction began in 2021, and Chicagoans have had mixed reviews about the design for the 225-foot-tall structure. The gray, mostly windowless building is on Chicago’s South Side and will serve as a presidential center and museum.
Obama Foundation Deputy Director Kim Patterson said the design of the building was a specific choice, including its lack of windows.
"There are not a lot of windows on the building, but that's intentional, because sunlight is just not a friend to the artwork and the artifacts that are going inside of the building," Patterson told CBS News during a tour of the property.
Patterson also claimed that the building’s prison-like shape was intentional and symbolic.
"The shape of the building was actually meant to mimic four hands coming together to show the importance of our collective action," she claimed.
Four hands? Really? Because to most people, it looks like a giant gray turd plopped down in the middle of a neighborhood. But sure, go with that.
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And having worked on more than a few architectural proposals myself, I can tell you that these kinds of lofty explanations are usually nonsense — made up after the fact to sell a design to a client or the public by making it seem more meaningful.
I bet the Obamas fell for that garbage hook, line, and sinker.
The project has faced protests and legal challenges since the beginning, and we’ve covered some of the outrage here at PJ Media. In 2018, a lawsuit accused the city of illegally transferring parkland to the Obama Foundation. Meanwhile, funds intended for the center are reportedly being diverted to dark-money networks. Despite all the controversy, the real victims are the locals, who have long complained about the design, the location, and the impact on their community.
Patterson claims the foundation listened to community feedback, particularly about the parking garage. "If the parking garage was here, it could possibly block sunlight coming to their area, their gardens," she said, referring to concerns from nearby residents. To address that, the foundation decided to build the garage underground instead of above ground. That’s a small consolation, but it doesn’t change the fact that locals have hated this project from the beginning.
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