After much speculation, it is finally official: President Obama will choose his adopted home of Chicago for the site of his presidential library.
The Barack Obama Presidential Library and Museum will be in Chicago’s South Side at the University of Chicago, according to two sources. The official announcement is expected to be within the next two weeks by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a long time political friend of Obama.
Columbia University in New York City — where Obama earned his undergraduate degree — was considered. The University of Hawaii, the state where Obama spent his boyhood, had also bid on the library. However, since the early planning stages of the library, Chicago was the clear favorite — both Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have deep ties to the city.
However, trouble arose when the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago were set to compete against one another. In the end, the foundation picked the University of Chicago.
Preservationist groups also voiced concern that park land was going to be used for the library, however Illinois state legislature passed a bill last week allowing for that to happen.
(h/t New York Times)
