Obama unveils vision for presidential library

CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama unveiled plans for his future presidential center Wednesday, painting a picture of a buzzing hub for youth and community programs on the South Side of Chicago where he raised his family and launched his political career.

Obama fielded questions from residents at a forum near the site, delving into nitty gritty details of traffic patterns, green space and job creation, while avoiding any mention of his successor in the White House.

“What we want this to be is the world premiere institution for training young people and leadership to make a difference in their communities, in their countries and in the world,” he told the friendly crowd that included Mayor Rahm Emanuel, his one-time chief of staff.

It was Obama’s second public appearance since he left office, providing another glimpse of post-presidential life. Last week, he participated in a University of Chicago panel with students, saying young people are the key to solving the nation’s most pressing problems and he hoped his center would play a role in it.

The Obama Presidential Center will feature three structures, including a tower-like museum and treelined walkways. The Obama Foundation displayed drawings and a miniature model of the center, which also will include a public plaza and classrooms.

Obama said construction of the center — up to 225,000 square feet overall — would take about four years, but programming would begin this year. He said he and former first lady Michelle Obama, who also attended, would personally donate $2 million to summer job efforts in the city. He said Chicago has a lot to offer, but most people outside the city only see headlines about the violence.

“We don’t want to wait for a building,” he said. “This is about reaching out right now.”

He said there would be future community meetings to discuss other aspects of the center in Jackson Park, and hoped it could be used to spur economic activity to the area, which includes several downtrodden neighborhoods. Obama projected the center would create thousands of jobs, including temporary construction jobs and up to 300 permanent positions.

The Obama Foundation has said much of the exhibition design work will be performed by minority- and female-owned businesses. New York-based Ralph Appelbaum Associates will head a team of several firms and individuals with expertise in media, lighting and acoustics in designing exhibits. The project is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but officials did not discuss cost on Wednesday.