The Obama Presidential Center, when factoring in public and private investment, is currently projected to cost over $1 Billion.  Chicago cannot afford another misstep with this singular opportunity, an infusion of resources of generational rarity.  Conceived with positive change as the focus, the project can be revolutionary.

The choice of Jackson Park to contain the Obama Presidential Center is a prodigal mistake that squanders its potential to chart a new course for the South Side of Chicago.  Not only do we waste its rare infusion of resources on the perverse goal of eliminating something that is already wonderful, in failing to approach the task with vision, we miss the opportunity of a lifetime to constructively rewrite history.  This is a Business-as-Usual approach in Chicago… and on the South Side of Chicago, Business as Usual clearly is not working.

With the intent of maximizing positive impact of the Obama Presidential Center, Twin Embraces aims to empower a new chapter in the history of the entire South Side.  It signifies a shift toward inclusive growth, an enduring respect and love for the city, a commitment to parity, and an optimism that the disquiet of the past can resolve into a symphony of achievement.  The blazoned, overtly celebratory character of the place is a return to the halcyon period of Chicago’s explosive advance, which gave rise to the Great Migration and engendered most of today’s landmarks.  It recalls the spirit of a time when Chicago was rightfully perceived as a frontier of opportunity and societal progress:  The next great city.

Chicago can only reverse its population decline and correlated urban tribulations by recommitting itself as a place of security and potential – and this can only be achieved by uplifting overlooked communities, holistically, equitably, and with strategy.