A New Chapter on Obama's Presidential Library Site

Another local university is vying for the chance to house President Obama's future presidential library. DNAInfo reports Chicago State University on the city's Far South Side has formed an exploratory committee to look into landing the library on its campus. The university's president, Wayne Watson, said the school has 123 acres of land within which to accommodate the library. Work wouldn't get underway until Obama leaves office in 2016. Retired State Senator Emil Jones Jr. will chair the committee that will also consist of Chicago State faculty and community members.

The public university is the latest of several groups to throw its proverbial hat into the Obama Library ring: The University of Chicago (where POTUS once taught law and FLOTUS Michelle once worked at the university's medical center) is said to be interested in locating the library on its Hyde Park grounds; Bronzeville community activists are lobbying for the library on the site of the former Michael Reese Hospital (where a residential complex for athletes would have been located had we nabbed the 2016 Olympic bid); the South Works redevelopment site in South Shore has been entertained; and way outside our city limits, officials at the University of Hawaii are said to be angling to secure the project in the president's home state.

Stakeholders in Bronzeville and at Chicago State say the library would attract needed tourism to their neighborhoods. Curbed's very own highly unofficial reader poll has the Bronzeville site as popular favorite by a wide margin. But with at least three years to go, and with the Prez staying mum on the issue, everybody will just have to put a bookmark in it.
·Chicago State University Wants Obama's Presidential Library [DNAinfo]
·Obama Marking Bush Library Sees Chicago Fight Over His [Bloomberg]
·Honolulu, Chicago Already Campaigning to Build Obama Presidential Library [CBS]
·Let's Get Presidential: Tell Us Your Preferred Site For An Obama Library [Curbed Chicago]

—Gwendolyn Purdom