New inscriptions on former President Barack Obama’s presidential center in Chicago are drawing complaints from residents and architecture critics over legibility and design choices.
The Obama Foundation released updated renderings this week showing the exterior design of the center under construction in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood. The project, which carries an estimated price tag of $850 million, has sparked fresh criticism following the addition of an inscription drawn from a speech Obama delivered in Selma, Alabama, in 2015 marking the 50th anniversary of civil rights marches.
Design Concerns
Architecture critics and residents have raised concerns about the readability of the text wrapping around the building’s exterior. “The new letters – an excerpt from Obama’s Selma speech – are tough read to me, giving off the lorem ipsum vibes,” Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bay wrote on LinkedIn, referencing placeholder text used in design templates.
Additional observers noted specific legibility issues with individual letters. “The words are cut off. The Ts, Ls, and Is are indistinguishable,” former investment banker John LeFevre noted on X. Temple University Professor Jacob Shell said the E’s are also “indistinguishable from F’s” and that “multiple words get disjointed – not just on one plane but two.”
“Truly, one of the most headache-inducing reading experiences I’ve ever had,” Shell said after attempting to read the inscription.
Breaking: The Obama Presidential Center—now an $850M concrete Taj Mahal on public parkland—proves hope & change was really just “hope you don’t notice the change in our bank accounts.”
Valerie Jarrett, eternal Obama whisperer, “earned” $740K as CEO in 2024. That’s right—$740,000… pic.twitter.com/Ts3CNuEKY2
— ZeroDEIUSA (@zeroDEIUSA) March 12, 2026
Community Impact
Beyond design critiques, residents in the surrounding neighborhood face housing pressures as the center’s development continues. Tenants at Chaney Braggs Apartments announced the formation of a union after learning that a potential buyer plans renovations or demolition that would trigger rent increases.
“I want to stay right where I’m at. I don’t want to be forced out,” said resident Kyana Butler. “I want to be able to let my daughter grow up in the same building I grew up in.”
Supporters of the residents gathered Thursday morning in an effort to preserve apartment affordability in the area.
Foundation Response
Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, defended the project’s design process. “I wish that people could be a fly on the wall to see how many times in the course of the day that I hear from President Obama about ideas for the center, tweaks, programming, and what we can do for the design,” Jarrett said.
This story has been updated. CNN’s editorial staff contributed to this report.
