Presidents, prime ministers and pop icons helped former President Barack Obama celebrate the opening of his legacy center in Chicago, but a subcontractor seethed on the sidelines over not getting paid for work performed on the building.
The towering, $850 million structure is situated on more than 19 acres in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park. The massive center dedicated to the nation’s first Black president includes a museum and a forum for lectures and musical performances and an NBA regulation-size basketball court. The building and campus will host a branch of the Chicago Public Library, an outdoor fruit and vegetable garden, a playground, a wetland walk and a water terrace featuring a sculpture by famed artist and architect Maya Lin.
Former first lady Michelle Obama on Thursday effusively praised construction workers and others who built the center, now open seven days a week.
“I simply cannot thank you enough for the care and brilliance you poured into every square inch of this campus,” she said.
But some of the invoices remain unpaid for local trade contractors who worked on the project. Their communication with the Obama Foundation “has largely broken down,” the trade publication ENR Midwest reported.
Businesses are now weighing whether to file liens or lawsuits for losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars associated with change orders to projects. The massive building was initially budgeted for $330 million, but the cost later rose to $850 million, making it the most expensive presidential library in history.
Michael Owen, owner of Adamson Plumbing and one of the few subcontractors willing to go on the record, said his company is owed more than $2 million, ENR reported.
The Washington Times has reached out to the Obama Foundation and Lakeside Alliance, the main contractor on the project.
The unpaid bills failed to put the slightest damper on Thursday’s star-studded dedication.
Thousands gathered on the Presidential Center’s expansive lawn to celebrate the opening. The VIP list included former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joseph R. Biden, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris also showed up for the grand opening. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg mingled in the crowd.
Performances by pop icons Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Bono and Mark Anthony entertained the crowd in between speeches by Mrs. Obama and other dignitaries who praised the 44th president and said his center will carry on his legacy of hope and change.
“You were doing the people’s work, rescuing our economy, expanding healthcare, ending a war, ordering the bin Laden raid … and you did it all with such grace and class and cool that you made the hardest job in the world look like a walk in this beautiful park,” Mrs. Obama said.
Mr. Obama, 64, joked to the crowd that a display of the former first lady’s fashion-forward dresses will be the center’s top attraction. He thanked the crowd of longtime supporters, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, and said their work will be reflected in every exhibit, including those that reflect his shortcomings and unfinished business.
“We wanted it to be a vibrant living celebration of community where we can learn together and share the joys of art and music and sport and play,” Mr. Obama said.
President Trump did not attend the opening, keeping with his tradition of avoiding appearances at some events that have traditionally been attended by all living presidents.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social an AI-generated image of the Obama Presidential Center with a black garbage bag on top of it and homeless encampments surrounding the building.
“The Barack Hussein Obama Library, in 10 years, when fully matured!” he posted.
Mr. Obama took apparent jabs back at Mr. Trump during his address to the crowd, citing the nation’s impending 250th anniversary and America’s decision to ditch a monarchy after the Revolutionary War.
“Out of the fire and steel of a revolution, a different story took flight on this continent, a declaration that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, and that in the newly independent United States, there will be no kings or lords, no serfs or subjects, and only citizens,” Mr. Obama said, eliciting cheers over his “no kings” reference.
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