President Obama‘s library will be in either New York City, Chicago or Hawaii, three places that shaped his life.
The Barack Obama Foundation issued a request for proposals Monday to the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Columbia University and the University of Hawaii, all of which submitted their qualifications to host the future Obama Presidential Library earlier this year.
“We look forward to working with each institution to further refine their proposals over the coming months, and to presenting our recommendations to the President and First Lady early next year,” said Martin Nesbitt, board chair of the foundation, in a statement.
The Obamas will then make their decision by early next year on where the 14th presidential library will be built.
The request calls for the library proposals to represent the “ideals of the Obama campaign: respect, empowerment and inclusivity” and tell a “compelling, accurate story about the President’s life, service and vision.”
The designs should also emit “a spirit of optimism and hope” and empower visitors “to create change and make a difference,” the request says.
Obama was born and raised in Hawaii, earned a bachelor’s degree at Columbia in New York City and then worked as a community organizer and attorney in Chicago.
Other libraries honor presidents Herbert Hoover through George W. Bush in 11 states. Hyde Park, N.Y., already hosts the Franklin Roosevelt library, but there are no presidential libraries in Illinois or Hawaii.
The George W. Bush Presidential Library cost about $250 million, a spokesman said when it was built last year.
