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| The Lakeside Center at McCormick Place is Underutilized - Seems like a good fit for the Obama Library image from durabilityanddesign.com |
Just before Christmas there was a flurry of articles talking about the quest to land the prestigious Obama Library and Museum. The news came about due to some Bronzeville residents discussing their desire to have the Library and Museum at the old Michael Reese hospital site:
The site where Michael Reese Hospital once stood isn't much to look at, just a 37-acre swath of overgrown land in Bronzeville, behind a shoddy chain-link fence.
Developers are itching to build a casino or perhaps a sports entertainment complex on the city-owned property located in the shadows of downtown near the south lakefront. But residents of this historic African-American community have something grander in mind.
They envision a Barack Obama presidential library.
"This area tells the story of Chess Records, gospel music, blues and jazz, electrified by Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters," said Harold Lucas, president of the Black Metropolis Convention & Tourism Council in Bronzeville. "When people come to Chicago, that's what they want to see. They want to see the birthplace of Mr. Obama's political career."
Though Obama has not commented publicly about his plans for a library, every president since Herbert Hoover has established an archive in his home state to house papers from his White House tenure. That means the race could come down to Chicago — the city Obama most recently called home — and Honolulu — the city where he was born.
If Chicago is selected, the next hurdle would be to determine where the facility would be built. An Obama library likely would not open before the end of the decade, but already it is a hot commodity because of the prestige and economic vitality it would bring to the community.This isn't the first we've heard about the library coming to Bronzeville. Back in October of 2012, there was some whispers of this spot potentially being considered for the library among various other things.
Bronzeville would have to join other potential bidders, including the University of Chicago, the University of Hawaii and developers of the old U.S. Steel South Works site on the Southeast Side, all with decidedly more political clout, financial resources and name recognition.
In our opinion it seems like Hyde Park probably has the best chance of landing the Library given Obama's ties to the university and its proximity to his house. Hawaii just doesn't make practical sense in our opinion (it ain't easy to get to).
Just for fun, we've got another high-profile suggestion. What about the McCormick Place Lakeside Center (seen on the far left in the picture above)? It has historical significance since it's where Obama celebrated his 2nd term victory and from what we've heard it's not being fully utilized.
Better yet, it would further enhance Chicago's "Museum Campus".
Obviously we have no idea if this is a possibility, but seems like a good spot to us!
30 comments:
Will there be a Tony Rezko wing in the Library?
The Obama Library would allow you to take home books for free and not pay for them, and then blame everyone else.
Stick the Library in Hawaii or in some vacant lot in the South side.
STOP ALLOWING ANONYMOUS COMMENTS! Seriously, enough already -- gutless pukes add zero net value to any forum.
Didn't see that coming.
Yeah, what kind of library allows you to take home books for free and not pay for them?
I think they shoulduf put it in tha down town area like that big scientology museum by the river. Sprecken se douthce?
First, let's be clear about his connections to the Univ. of Chicago. He was hired as an adjunct prof. a couple of times. He was never a student nor ever part of the faculty.
Second, besides the racism of the African-American community wanting to have the president's library for the sole reason that he is half African-American, I don't understand the rationale of having the library in the South Loop or in Bronzeville.
Third, he doesn't live in Hyde Park. He lives in a mansion in the Kenwood neighborhood.
Fourth, I doubt the president would want his library on the land, Reese Hospital, of the failed Olympic bid.
Fifth, Chicago has enough reminders of political incompetence and corruption. Perhaps the library should be in Hawaii.
Agree, Hawaii would be better. Or why not the middle of the lake? It can sink...just like our country is sinking under his "watch". Who cares.
Enhance the museum campus? Really?
Yeah, just like there are books on how to find weapons of mass destruction at the Bush Library. Maybe the Bush Library should have been built on a bombed out lot in Iraq somewhere!
Obama also was head of the harvard review and he didnt even write 1 article
The Lakeside Center's main convention floor is still used with regular frequency. The only under utilization is of the lower level rooms and Arie Crown theater. Plus, claiming an Obama connection due to hiselection night party is tenuous at best. My high school (Mount Carmel) had my senior prom there and that doesn't mean we should turn it into a high school football hall of fame.
seems like a lot of grumpy, spineless, under-educated, old white men have far too much time to be attacking BHO on this neighborhood blog...
second the notion of putting a stop to "anonymous" postings...
Well to be fair they don't come across as exceptionally grumpy.
Looking at where existing presidential libraries have been placed it does not appear that the specific location _within_ the given state is always strongly tied to the individual president. (The choice of state to place it in, is.)
In some cases the locality choice is meaningful to the president's personal history e.g. FDR's is in Hyde Park, NY; Ford's is in Grand Rapids; etc. But in more cases it seems to be more about his political history and/or the specific spot was chosen for reasons not strongly related to the guy. E.g. JFK's in is Boston but not a part of that city that he had any particular connection to; Bush41's is at Texas A&M while Bush43's is at SMU; LBJ's is in Austin where he never personally lived except for a short time in the state legislature; etc.
So if precedent is a guide then the Illinois vs Hawaii question seems like the main one. Once the state is selected (selected by who exactly I'm not sure), then whether or to what degree the president is closely tied with different places within that state doesn't matter that much.
what paul butts failed to mention is barack obama's library has already been said to be put in the Kenwood neighborhood earlier this past fall
Will it include an Abortion Clinic, oooooppps, I mean a "Women's Reproductive Health Center"?
It will be built whereever the Chinese Govt financing the project with our massive debt loans say it can be built.
It will then be paid off by the sale of Asian Carp in Lake Michigan to China.
put it where that Rezco property is by clark and roosevelt then i wont have to look at that vacant land from my condo anymore eatin the puddin'
I SUGGEST 1 MILE EAST
Yikes
Anon b.s is getting worse. I'm thinking avg age of an anon poster is 14.
End the madness sloopy
Seriously Sloopin, you deny my post about losing, yet you allow the anon that talks about the "Abortion Clinic" which has NOTHING to do with this post? Get rid of the ANONS already!
Back on topic, it'd be a very weird place. Sure the scenery would be nice, but getting to it would be a pain, and I don't think it'd really stimulate any development around there. If you look at the Clinton Library, it restored a local train depot, reinvigorated and rehabbed a formerly derelict rail bridge and turned it into a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Mississippi River, and due to it's development there's now a light rail stop for the Clinton Library and the new Heifer International headquarters. I don't see any of those sorts of improvements or developments coming to the Sloop if Obama put his library on the Lakefront.
That's actually the Arkansas River in Little Rock, but anyway yes, the degree to which a presidential library would or wouldn't spur some local improvements ought to be a factor in the location choice. SOM is currently doing some sort of site-planning work for the Emanuel administration, have they yet produced anything?
Access is a problem, true. The Metra Electric stop at 27th St is about it as far as transit infrastructure around there.
The whole Reese site is 37 acres, I wasn't picturing that a presidential library would take up anywhere near all of that. But then again I haven't ever been to one of those things, how big are the recently-built ones?
And yea, unless the anons are banned soon I'll have to bail out from Sloopin...if that caliber of discourse was of any interest I'd just kick awake one of the homeless guys sleeping on the 'L'.
Sloopy,
Please don't end the anon "madness." I check the blog just about every day for news about the neighborhood and any insight from any commenters. I just choose not to create an identify on here. Most of the comments from anons and registered commenters are amusing. Some anons are looking for a rise out of other users and it's actually kind of funny to see people like Brendan get so upset over something so trivial. Take it easy man, and have a laugh. I'll buy drinks over at Firehouse tonight. Just ask for the Anon at the bar.
The Annon comments are the best information, and humor on this site. Who wants to here from only a bunch of self-important blowhards that don't know crap, using fake names and profiles anyway?
Have you people forgotten that we live in one of the most politically corrupt and graft friendly city in the US? We have Alderman that act like children and punish taxpaying citizens if they give them any lip. Most of the good scoop, inside dirt, and behind the scene stories come from 'Anonymous' Sources who need protection from the Liberal hypocrites in office.
I think we should have a post one day that discusses the side deals and political corruption that goes on right under our noses so people know the amazing crap that goes on.
i agree with the previous two comments...keep the anon option. I am not going to register a fake name just to post. Brendan states to avg age of an anon poster is 14 ..yet he spells his handle as BRENDAN using all CAPS ...so ask yourself ..who looks like a 14 year old?
How useful is "inside dirt" if there is nothing with which to assess its credibility? The only audiences for that kind of information are the mentally ill and conspiracy theorists. Keep in mind that picking a consistent fake username, which is what most of us "anti-anons" are asking for, is still far more anonymous than the level of identification provided in the media for anonymous sources (i.e. the reader/viewer is usually provided a sense of what their job is and/or who they are affiliated with).
To continue the positive discussion of Anons, I ask what would be the harm in you creating a "fake name" so that everybody could reply to comments correctly, as opposed to needing to quote "Anon 11:27"?
While these three most recent comments have been productive, the vast majority of anonymous comments are anything but, and doesn't do anything to advance this blog and our neighborhood as a whole. Why shouldn't everyone who posts have to be accountable for their actions?
sorry, i am an anon poster but did you just say that because he spells his name in caps that he is juvenile?
wow
"How useful is "inside dirt" if there is nothing with which to assess its credibility?" Bingo.
We actually have a term for that sort of thing, it's called gossip. If this blog wants to be a junior-high-school lunchroom then of course that's the proprietor's privilege. If on the other hand the idea is to be a place where adults exchange views based on actual information, then the anonymous diarrhea needs to be discouraged. (Which to be clear is all that requiring a login does and all which is being sought here: to slightly _discourage_ it. Genuine tipsters with real inside scoops aren't in real life dissuaded by anything so trivial as having to make up a login.)
I've been told, by a source in a position to know, that the Michael Reese site is the main one being looked at.
I would prefer aon comments be kept. I think Brendan actually maybe my wife's physical therapist. It is weird to know that if it is cually him since he is so abrasive The Obama library is an important part of Chicago and I hope it ends up somewhere in our city that is not on prime real estate that can be better utilizes.
At least now I know where NOT to go for the physical therapist I need to start seeing. Thanks, BRENDAN!
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