Obama's $1 Billion Presidential Library Looks Like A Tower Of Doom
There’s been a pledge from the Obama Foundation of a 470 million dollar endowment to protect the tax payers from having to pay for maintenance and operations. So far only one million dollars has been deposited and that was five years ago. There are whispers that the public will be forced to bailout the endowment fund since the pledge appears to have been abandoned.
You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
October 18, 2025, 07:51 AM
Pipe Smoker
quote:
There are whispers that the public will be forced to bailout the endowment fund since the pledge appears to have been abandoned
Under President Trump the public may say, “No way, Jose.”
Serious about crackers.
October 18, 2025, 10:03 AM
Biker_dude
quote:
Originally posted by darthfuster: There’s been a pledge from the Obama Foundation of a 470 million dollar endowment to protect the tax payers from having to pay for maintenance and operations. So far only one million dollars has been deposited and that was five years ago. There are whispers that the public will be forced to bailout the endowment fund since the pledge appears to have been abandoned.
Plus, I understand they (the O'Bummers) razed a large swath of very pretty landscape to erect that abomination. Yeah, those grifters are very environmentally conscious, huh? /sarc
December 09, 2025, 08:12 AM
egregore
World War II German flak tower:
There's something vaguely familiar about it. I can't quite pin it down ...
(There is a similar post on a different page.)This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
December 09, 2025, 08:55 AM
Hound Dog
Butt ugly, but fitting.
Honestly, I would never set foot in the place no matter what it looked like.
Fear God and Dread Nought Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jacky Fisher
December 09, 2025, 09:03 AM
Ripley
^^^^ You wouldn't want to even park your car any where near it.
Set the controls for the heart of the Sun.
December 09, 2025, 12:31 PM
Snapping Twig
Irony is, it shows his mentality and plans for America.
Commies are one trick ponies.
December 09, 2025, 12:54 PM
Sig2340
Its not a "Tower of Doom."
Its a "Tower of Dumb."
Nice is overrated
"It's every freedom-loving individual's duty to lie to the government." Airsoftguy, June 29, 2018
December 09, 2025, 01:04 PM
corsair
I'll just refer to it as Orthanc.
December 09, 2025, 06:17 PM
downtownv
Looks like a closet for Michelle's wardrobe, shoes and wigs.
_________________________
December 10, 2025, 09:12 AM
bettysnephew
When I saw this, the only thing I could relate it with were those old microwave monstrosities that I believe Bell Tel or AT&T built for cross country communications. That or public housing in Commie countries which I guess is somewhat appropriate in the case of this a'hole.
The “POLICE" Their job Is To Save Your Ass, Not Kiss It
The muzzle end of a .45 pretty much says "go away" in any language - Clint Smith
December 10, 2025, 09:36 AM
V-Tail
quote:
Originally posted by Sig2340:
Its not a "Tower of Doom." Its a "Tower of Dumb."
I thought that the Tower of Dumb was Biden's library.
הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
December 10, 2025, 11:33 AM
egregore
^^^ Both can be true at the same time.
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
December 10, 2025, 11:55 AM
Sig2340
quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
quote:
Originally posted by Sig2340:
Its not a "Tower of Doom." Its a "Tower of Dumb."
I thought that the Tower of Dumb was Biden's library.
Biden's is the "Tower of Dung."
Or did I get those backwards?
Nice is overrated
"It's every freedom-loving individual's duty to lie to the government." Airsoftguy, June 29, 2018
December 10, 2025, 12:38 PM
chellim1
quote:
Obama's $1 Billion Presidential Library Looks Like A Tower Of Doom
Residents in the area reportedly describe the building as a "totalitarian command center dropped straight out of 1984."
All for a "library" that will house no books or Presidential papers.
The Barack Obama Presidential Center is a museum and private foundation headquarters in Chicago that will house no physical books or presidential papers, breaking from the traditional National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) model.
All of the Obama administration's official presidential records have been digitized and are managed by NARA online, accessible through the official NARA website. The center itself is a privately operated, non-federal organization. Any physical books available would likely be part of a branch of the Chicago Public Library located within the center, not NARA-archived presidential papers. This approach marks the first time a presidential library facility will not be administered by NARA or contain physical records on-site, a decision that has drawn some criticism from historians.
"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown
"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor
February 23, 2026, 08:08 AM
chellim1
Obama's 'Gift' Sticks Taxpayers With $200M+ Bill As Chicago Hides True Costs Of Presidential Library
When former President Barack Obama announced plans for his presidential center on Chicago’s South Side, he described it as a privately funded investment in the city that would give back to the community that shaped his political career.
And while construction of the brutalist eyesore itself remains privately financed through the Obama Foundation, taxpayers are footing the bill for massive infrastructure costs.
A review by Fox News found that state and city agencies have not produced a unified accounting of total public expenditures tied to the project’s surrounding infrastructure. While individual agencies have disclosed partial figures, no single office has reconciled those totals or clarified how they overlap.
At the time the project was approved in 2018, public infrastructure costs were projected at roughly $350 million, to be split between the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago. Those estimates covered roadway modifications, utility relocations and related improvements necessary to accommodate the 19.3-acre campus in Jackson Park that nobody asked for.
In July, the Illinois Department of Transportation said that approximately $229 million in state-managed infrastructure spending had been committed to the project. That total includes about $19 million for preliminary engineering, $24 million for construction engineering and $186 million for construction activities. A department spokesperson described the earlier $174 million figure as a preliminary 2017 estimate.
Now, Chicago’s most recent 2024–2028 Capital Improvement Plan lists more than $206 million allocated to roadway and utility work associated with the project. However, much of that funding is labeled as “state,” and neither state nor city officials have clarified how the figures relate to one another or whether they represent overlapping commitments. A map graphic shows the footprint of the Obama Presidential Center inside Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side along Lake Michigan. (Fox News)
Fox submitted records requests to several agencies, including the Illinois Department of Transportation, Chicago’s Department of Transportation, the city’s Office of Budget and Management, the mayor’s office and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration - yet, not one provided a consolidated, up-to-date accounting of total public infrastructure spending. The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor is reviewing whether agencies complied with state transparency laws in responding to the requests.
The Obama Foundation defended the project, reiterating that the center’s construction - whose cost has grown from early projections of roughly $330 million to at least $850 million, according to its 2024 tax filings - is being financed by private donations. In a statement to Fox, foundation spox Emily Bittner said the organization is “investing $850 million in private funding to build the Obama Presidential Center and give back to the community that made the Obamas’ story possible,” adding that the project is intended to catalyze economic opportunity on the South Side. Bittner, of course, didn't address the infrastructure costs - which have been extensive. Chicago’s 2024–2028 Capital Improvement Program lists $206,078,058 for "Obama Presidential Center & Jackson Park – Infrastructure Improvements," with most funding labeled as state sources. (City of Chicago Capital Improvement Program)
Cornell Drive, a four-lane roadway along the eastern edge of Jackson Park, was removed and traffic rerouted farther west. Utilities, including water mains and sewer lines, were relocated, and new drainage systems were installed. City and state officials have said the changes were necessary to manage anticipated traffic and visitor demand.
The center occupies 19 acres of public parkland transferred under a 99-year agreement for $10, a decision that prompted legal challenges arguing that the arrangement was not in the public interest. Courts ultimately dismissed those lawsuits.
Though often described as a presidential library, the Chicago complex will not function as a traditional library operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Former President Obama’s official records will be maintained by the federal government at a facility in Maryland, while the Chicago site will be operated privately by the Obama Foundation.
The foundation also pledged to establish a $470 million endowment intended to protect taxpayers in the event the project encounters financial difficulty. According to previous reporting by Fox News, that fund has received $1 million in deposits.
"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown
"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor
February 23, 2026, 09:40 AM
Aglifter
Other than a graft, what the heck is it?
I thought the POTUS had to keep the records, in a library? I can see where that may be inefficient, given security requirements, etc, but what other purpose would it serve?
February 23, 2026, 11:56 AM
TigerDore
It looks like a Transformer took a dump.
.
February 23, 2026, 12:08 PM
TigerDore
quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
quote:
Originally posted by Sig2340:
Its not a "Tower of Doom." Its a "Tower of Dumb."
I thought that the Tower of Dumb was Biden's library.
Biden's is the Tower of Dumber.
February 23, 2026, 12:41 PM
nhtagmember
no books, not a library
a monument to socialism perhaps
or just a way to line his pockets
I've been to the Reagan Library and the Nixon Library on numerous occasions