Obama presidential center costs taxpayers hundreds of millions

First on Fox: Former President Barack Obama once declared his presidential center would be a “gift” to Chicago, but taxpayers are bearing hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden costs associated with the beleaguered project.

A Fox News Digital Investigation It appears taxpayers are now stuck footing the bill for rising public infrastructure costs needed to support the project — and no government agency can provide an accounting of the total public cost, despite months of inquiries and Freedom of Information Act requests.

“Illinois Republicans saw this coming a mile away. And now, at the right time, Illinois Democrats are leaving taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars to support the ugliest building in Chicago,” Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi told Fox News Digital. “Illinois’ culture of corruption thrives alongside pay-to-play deals for their allies and friends while lying to Illinois voters.”

When the project was approved in 2018, Obama pledged to fund construction of the expanded 19.3-acre campus in historic Jackson Park through donations to the Obama Foundation — a commitment that remains in place as private funding for the center’s construction continues.

But the extensive infrastructure required to make the campus operationally viable—including redesigned roads, stormwater drainage systems, and relocated utilities—is publicly funded, and without these changes, the center would not be able to operate.

At the time, projections estimated public infrastructure costs at about $350 million, split between the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago.

The Obama Presidential Center is depositing just $1 million into a $470 million reserve fund aimed at protecting taxpayers

Former President Barack Obama once stated that his presidential position would be a “gift” to Chicago. An animated GIF showing the Obama Presidential Center under construction next to a still image of former President Barack Obama. (Fox Flight Team, Getty)

Eight years later, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) told Fox News Digital that nearly $229 million in infrastructure spending was tied to the site, compared to its previous estimate of roughly $174 million.

The $229 million figure reflects state-administered spending, which may include federal transportation funds channeled through IDOT.

Meanwhile, chicago Officials failed to produce a matching total showing how much commitment city taxpayers have made or how current spending compares to the nearly $175 million discussed when the project was approved.

Paper trail without the total

Fox News Digital has submitted records requests and press inquiries to every agency involved in the infrastructure work, including the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Office of Budget and Management (OBM), the Mayor’s Office and Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration.

No office provided a consolidated, updated accounting of total public infrastructure spending associated with the project. The investigation involved months of Freedom of Information Act requests, partial disclosures and repeated follow-ups.

There appeared to be no single agency overseeing the full scope of infrastructure work, and neither the state nor the city compiled identical accounts—a fragmentation that made it difficult to determine the total public cost.

Instead, the agencies provided partial numbers, refused to clarify whether city and state totals overlap or insisted there was no consolidated total.

The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counsel (PAC) is reviewing whether multiple agencies have complied with state transparency laws following Fox News Digital FOIA requests.

Exterior view of the Obama Presidential Center tower under construction in Chicago. (Fox 32 Chicago)

Construction costs are rising

The center sits on 19 acres of historic public parkland that was carved out in a controversial transfer for just $10 under a 99-year agreement, making the issue of public infrastructure spending particularly sensitive. Legal challenges to the land transfer, including lawsuits alleging that the arrangement was not in the public interest, were ultimately dismissed, although the merits of the arguments were not adjudicated.

The center — though commonly referred to as the presidential “library” — will no longer operate as a traditional facility operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and NARA will maintain former President Obama’s official records at a federal site in Maryland.

while Obama Presidential Center The facility in Chicago is expected to provide digital access to archival materials, but will not serve as a federally operated records repository.

Instead, the Chicago complex will be run privately, rent-free, by the Obama Foundation, the former president’s nonprofit, which oversees leadership programs and civic initiatives consistent with his values ​​and political priorities.

The costs of building the facility itself have ballooned from initial estimates of about $330 million to at least $850 million, according to the foundation’s 2024 tax filings, though those expenses are being borne by private donors.

Meanwhile, the $470 million reserve fund — known as an endowment — which the foundation promised to fill to protect taxpayers if the project failed, has only received $1 million in deposits, Fox News Digital said. I mentioned previously.

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A before-and-after aerial drawing shows the impact of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, including the removal of Cornell Drive and construction along Stony Island Boulevard. (Fox News)

Roads were removed, roads were rebuilt

Taxpayers often fund routine improvements near major civic projects — such as turn lanes, utility connections, or improved traffic signals — but the scope of work surrounding the Obama Presidential Center is much broader.

In comparison, other modern presidential libraries have required only limited public infrastructure improvements and have not involved the removal of a major road or wholesale redesign of the traffic pattern in a historic park.

Much of the publicly funded work reconfigured the roads and amenities that ran through Jackson Park.

Cornell Drive—a four-lane road that borders the center’s east side with Park Lake—was permanently removed under the center’s site plan and lined with the campus. Traffic that used to travel alongside the lake was redirected to the west, reducing the number of public roads immediately adjacent to the complex and creating a more unified campus around the center.

Crews also tore down trees, moved water pipes, sewer lines and electrical infrastructure, and installed new drainage systems tied to the facility’s structural needs as part of the public infrastructure project.

City and state officials say the changes were necessary to manage traffic and visitor demand. Critics argued that the redesign changed the park’s outdated infrastructure to accommodate the organization’s preferred design.

What is clear is that without road closures, rerouting and utility relocation, the project will not perform as designed.

The Obama Foundation, which is funding construction of the center, defended the project in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“The Obama Foundation is investing $850 million in private funding to build the Obama Presidential Center and give back to the community that made the Obama family’s story possible,” said Emily Bittner, a spokeswoman for the foundation.

“After decades of underinvestment in Chicago’s South Side, OPC is working to catalyze investment, from public and private sources, to build economic opportunities for residents through jobs, housing, public spaces and amenities.”

A map drawing shows the footprint of the Obama Presidential Center within Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago along Lake Michigan. (Fox News)

The number no one will remember

IDOT, which controls state funding for the corridor and signs major transportation contracts associated with the project, has recognized about $229 million in state-managed infrastructure spending but has not produced a consolidated accounting to reconcile that total throughout the project.

“With all major pieces awarded for this aspect of the overall project, the state has thus far contributed through IDOT approximately $229 million,” an IDOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital in July in its latest release. “An approximate breakdown of these funds: $19 million for preliminary engineering, $24 million for construction engineering and $186 million for construction activities.”

The initial figure of $174 million was from “2017 was a preliminary cost estimate,” the spokesperson said.

CDOT, which carried out road closures, traffic rerouting and utility relocation work within Jackson Park, acknowledged Fox News Digital’s October 7, 2025 Freedom of Information Act request and obtained a statutory extension but never issued a final decision or provided the requested records. The department also did not provide a consolidated total for the city or explain how Chicago’s capital allocations overlap with state spending.

OBM, which oversees the city’s capital allocations, did not say whether the city’s $175 million estimate was still valid and directed Fox News Digital to the capital improvement plan. Chicago’s latest capital improvement plan for 2024-2028 — the city’s multi-year infrastructure budget — lists more than $206 million earmarked for roadwork and amenities surrounding the project. However, much of this funding is so-called “state,” and neither state nor city officials can explain how these allocations overlap with IDOT’s reported total.

In a response to the Freedom of Information Act, OBM said so “He has no responsive records.” It shows any cost overruns, reallocations, or breakdowns in spending across key components of the Obama Center’s infrastructure work.

The agency also could not explain how Chicago’s $206 million budget line relates to IDOT’s $229 million number or how much Chicago actually pays from the city’s amount rather than the state.

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Chicago’s 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Program lists $206,078,058 for “Obama Presidential Center and Jackson Park – Infrastructure Improvements,” with most of the funding classified as government sources. (City of Chicago Capital Improvement Program)

Pritzker’s office gave conflicting responses and ultimately produced no records showing the state’s total infrastructure spending.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office did not respond to repeated requests about the city’s total infrastructure spending associated with the project or how much Chicago expects to commit.

Without updated reconciliations from both levels of government, taxpayers still do not have a clear accounting of the financial obligations associated with the position.

What is clear is that Obama’s “gift” to Chicago comes with a high public price tag, which is becoming more complex — and without updated cost projections, the true total cost remains unknown.