A great variety of community and public uses is clustered at the Obama Presidential Center, as is evident from the first floor plan above.  This is deliberate as a means of activating the space surrounding Obama Square and the Center itself on an annual, 24-hour basis.  As reciprocal entities, the success of the Center is dependent on the success of the surrounding city, and vice-versa.  Ensuring this success and vitality during all seasons, during all times of day, is a key ingredient to establishing the essential nature of the Obama Presidential Center on a perpetual basis.  The goal, in other words, is to interweave the Center into the city’s activities such that it forms an integral part of the urban infrastructure, a true landmark.

In the contained embrace of Obama Square, one will find a new extension of the University of Chicago’s Arts Block, with a lyceum, conservatory, and studios for artists in-residence.  Moreover, there are four restaurants, the public Wintergarden, a café and welcoming kiosk, the hotel lobby and gymnastic center, public transit enhancements centered on the C.T.A. Green Line, and a full-service Chicago Public Library with special digital access to the presidential archives.  From within the Wintergarden, one finds additional community retail, and the main entrances to the Obama Museum and The Forum.  Beyond are the athletic center, the Sky Room’s dedicated entrance pavilion, the tower’s reflecting pool and plaza, and the splendors of Washington Park.

By keeping the area active and richly programmed with a balance of commercial, recreational, and cultural uses centered on mass transit, Obama Square is nearly certain to become a key part of daily life on the South Side of Chicago.  In exchange, the Obama Presidential Center itself will be assured of a thriving and vital status.