Situated at the central moment of Washington Park’s western edge, the Obama Presidential Center is positioned in a definitive role at the confluence of many important boulevards.  This is also the most urban part of Washington Park, where Olmsted envisioned stables and a band shell, and situated a primary building, known as The Pavilion.  This building was later developed by Daniel Burnham as today’s Refectory building (shown in orange, adjacent to the aquatic center complex), and later still, supplemented by the Washington Park Fieldhouse (shown also in orange).

The scale of the complex is meant to reflect, and indeed to complete, the general patterns of the neighborhood.  This is not only evident in the height of the buildings, but also in their articulation and the scale of their features.  In this fashion, it is hoped that this site will be perceived as almost preordained as the location of the Obama Presidential Center; it will be the missing link that reconstitutes the frayed ends of past mistakes, thoughtfully woven again.

At the same time, the design’s monumental character is essential.  By creating a new focal point at this select location, the Obama Presidential Center reorients the focus of the park to the west, where investment and energy are most needed.  The great expanse of Washington Park, historic and replete with beauty, becomes the front yard of the Presidential Center.  The majestic sequence of spaces starting at the Chicago lakefront, progressing through Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance, and weaving past the lagoons of Washington Park, becomes the Obama Presidential Center’s gateway and forecourt.  Truly, there is no more spectacular means of arrival in the urban United States.

The tower itself has been carefully planned to reach an impressive height without overwhelming the park or the community.  Its unusually slender form and graceful massing have been configured to minimize shadows and to preserve existing view corridors, retaining connectivity between Washington Park and Garfield Boulevard to the west.  Its improbably small interface with the ground opens up the greatest acreage for public new uses.