U. of C. plans: Obama library in the park

The University of Chicago is proposing that the Obama presidential library be built on about 20 acres of South Side parkland, either in Washington or Jackson parks, according to the university.

The information, released Tuesday, was privately submitted last month to the president and first lady. Since then, pressure has built from library planners who are hoping to avoid any real estate or legal challenges associated with building a library in a public park.

The two sites are:

21 acres in western Jackson Park, bounded by South Stony Island Avenue to the west, South Cornell Avenue to the east, East 60th Street to the north and East 63rd Street to the south.

22 acres in western Washington Park and 11 acres outside of it, stretching as far west as South Prairie Avenue, and encompassing the Garfield Green Line stop. The park space is bounded by South Martin Luther King Drive to the west, Ellsworth Drive to the east, East Garfield Boulevard to the south and East 51st Street to the north.

The parcels outside of Washington Park are controlled by a combination of owners, including the U. of C., the city of Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority and private individuals or companies.

The museum is expected to occupy only a fraction of the land. As a comparison, if the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas were to be spread out on one floor, it would take up about 5 acres. The entire campus measures 23 acres.

"In the first place, there's a long tradition of museums in the parks in Chicago," said Susan Sher, who is leading the U. of C.'s library bid, about the use of parkland. "When you look at the possibilities and the criteria of having enough space for the legacy of a major historical figure, you can't just plop it in the middle of a shopping center."

In her discussions, Sher said, residents of neighborhoods surrounding the university have jockeyed for the library. Sher has not found any "not-in-my-backyard" resentment, she said.

Residents will get a chance to publicly weigh in at two community hearings, Jan. 13 and Jan. 14, at Hyde Park Academy High School and the Washington Park Fieldhouse,respectively. The Park District is weighing whether to transfer the parcels to City Hall control. Such control was stipulated by library planners, led by Chicago private equity executive Martin Nesbitt.

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U. of C. plans: Obama library in the park