CHICAGO — Groundbreaking for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago will be delayed until next year because of a delay in the federal review process.
Construction on former President Barack Obama’s center was to start this year. However, the Obama Foundation says it now plans to break ground for the half-billion-dollar project sometime in 2019.
Before the presidential center can be built, the federal government will review its impact on Jackson Park. The park on the city’s South Side is on the National Register of Historic Places. The project’s environmental effects will also be analyzed. Any adverse effects must be resolved before construction is allowed.
The Obama Presidential Center is expected to have three buildings containing a museum, meeting rooms, an athletic center and a public library branch.
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