Former President Barack Obama celebrates his 65th birthday on August 4th.Image: keystone
A new museum traces the life story of the former US president. The Obama Presidential Center is already a hit. Our correspondent took a tour.
July 28, 2026, 9:57 p.mJuly 28, 2026, 9:57 p.m
Chris Brown is a bit disappointed. He would have liked to explore the Obama Presidential Center, former President Barack Obama’s new museum. “I grew up nearby and went to school,” says the older man. But unfortunately, the tickets for the striking tower in the south of Chicago were sold out for months shortly after the opening – currently until before Christmas.
So Brown now has to make do with the “Gift Shop”, the obligatory museum shop. The legendary blue T-shirts that show a rising sun and are reminiscent of the 2008 election campaign are sold there. They cost 25 dollars. Or you can buy a water bottle “Made in Chicago” for $45.
This is, of course, pure commerce. But Brown took action anyway, because the revenue is coming the former president’s foundation benefit. “And in times like these, we must support organizations that stand for hope and change.” Then he grins.
The population gives the museum a nickname
Hope and Change, that was the slogan with which Barack Obama once won a historic election in the middle of the financial crisis. And even though it feels like an eternity ago, many Americans have not forgotten this motto. It’s burned into their minds, a reminder of a time when, at least in left-wing America, anything seemed possible.
The $850 million museum, officially opened at the end of June, is aimed at these people. In contrast to the libraries that ex-presidents usually build after the end of their terms in office, the facility in the south of Chicago does not serve as an archive and is therefore not intended as a research facility.
All documents from the Obama administration, which lasted from 2009 to 2017, have been digitized and are only accessible online. Because of this decision, the ex-president not only saved a lot of money on construction. He also did not have to comply with the requirements of the federal archives authority.
The centerpiece of the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago: the tower with the Presidential Museum.Image: keystone
Obama took advantage of this leeway. He decided not to build a classic presidential library, but rather a shrine: a 69-meter-high tower made of granite that looks like an obelisk, the blueprints of which were lost during construction. The tower is already popularly known as the “Obamalisk”. Or, in the words of architect Tod Williams: An “iconic building” for an iconic president.
A letter from Bush is waiting in the Oval Office
Inside, the eight-story museum building also surprises with its unconventional entrance. The individual floors are quite small, and there isn’t much space left for the respective exhibitions – comparable presentations are usually housed in long, flat buildings.
This is one of the reasons why the exhibition is limited to the highlights of the life of Barack Hussein Obama, who was born almost exactly 65 years ago. You get an insight into his life story and his marriage to his wife Michelle as well as his political rise. These biographical insights are embedded in the history of the American civil rights movement; Obama is still the only black president of the USA.
A statue of Barack and Michelle Obama on the museum grounds in Chicago.Image: keystone
Another floor is dedicated to the work of the Obama administration. It brings back memories of the political disputes in Washington 15 years ago, which seem incredibly tame compared to today’s. A eulogy that the president gave in 2015 after a racially motivated massacre in the tourist city of Charleston can be seen on a large screen. In search of the right words, Obama sang the hymn “Amazing Grace.” This gesture still moves people to tears today. This is one of the reasons why there are boxes of tissues everywhere.
The real highlight of the museum can be found on the 4th floor: a faithful replica of Obama’s presidential office in the White House. “You’re lucky,” said the museum employee that morning, “normally you have to wait at least 15 minutes to enter the Oval Office.” Then she invites me in.
I’m taken aback at first because the room seems strangely empty and boring. But everything seems to be there. There is the couch set. And there is the president’s mighty wooden work table, whose large drawer can be opened. It contains a replica of the letter that George W. Bush left to his successor in 2009.
Then I notice what looks different in the Oval Office compared to the press photos. «The gold is missing! Where is it?” I ask a little louder than I intended. The museum employee standing next to me laughs loudly and says dryly: “That comes later.”
Trump and Biden only play a minor role
This is not the only moment in the museum when the visitor thinks of Donald Trump. However, you won’t find the Republican’s name in the Obama Presidential Center. Trump is being hushed up and the Obamas didn’t invite him to the opening ceremony either – even though the rise of one president can only be explained by the person of the other.
Former Vice President and later President Joe Biden applauds former President Barack Obama, April 1, 2014.Image: AP/AP
Joe Biden, Obama’s vice president, also only plays a small supporting role in the Obama Presidential Center. Maybe the host is a little embarrassed that he appointed the future president as his deputy in 2008 and thereby made him relevant?
Unlike his two successors, Obama is still popular. And not just among older Democrats who can still remember his historic election victory on November 4, 2008. But also among young Americans who were at most children at the time.
The opening of the Obama Presidential Center should therefore also be understood as a declaration of war on political opponents. Obama’s time is not up yet, although he no longer wants to be in the spotlight. “I firmly believe that my greatest and most valuable contribution right now is to help find the next generation of leaders,” the former president recently told the New Yorker magazine.
Thanks to the “Obamalisk” he now has a suitable location for this. (schweiztoday.ch)