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So, the Obama Presidential Library Is Really Ugly
A discarded Chinese take-out box. The backside of a Star Wars sand crawler. The Washington Monument with the interesting bits lopped off. That’s what sprung to mind when confronted with the initial design of the Obama Presidential Center.
In addition to the tall stone museum with notches and windows cut out at random, the proposal calls for a low-slung forum and library with greenery on the roof. It will be built in Jackson Park in Chicago’s South Side, not far from the Museum of Science and Industry.
According to the Obama Foundation, this will be much more than a mere presidential library. “Through participatory and immersive experiences,” the website says, “the Center will tell Barack and Michelle Obama’s story, while lifting the hood on the mechanics of change and inspiring visitors to spark their own.”
No, I don’t know what that means either.
But the Obamas are going to use it as a community organizing bootcamp to teach new generations how to make hyperviolent Chicago an even less comfortable place to live and work.
As far as the architecture goes, I’m confused about the intent. Their first mistake was choosing Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the duo responsible for turning the light, modernist Phoenix Art Museum into a turgid eyesore that grumbles “keep out” to passers-by. If I had to identify an architectural antecedent to their Obama design, it would be the broken necropolis built two millennia ago in the Kingdom of Kush.
To be fair, modern presidential libraries are pretty bland affairs. George W. Bush‘s complex looks like the headquarters of a mid-market insurance company while Bill Clinton‘s is a double-wide about to tip into the Arkansas River. The only winner is the Reagan Library, but that owes more to siting than architecture.
What are your thoughts: Is the Obama Center a hit or a bust?
Published in General
I hope there will be lots of kinetic exhibits:
He is an inferior version of the Kardashians.
That’s better.
Just gonna leave this here:
News of the Future: The Trump Presidential Library
Well, it is the only Presidential Library with an Over-18 section. And as Rush calls it, the Bill Clinton Presidential Library and Massage Parlor.
Well if it’s a casino run by Trump at least we know it will close in short order.
How’bout “lifting the seat on an unflushed toilet” ?
I vaguely remember a post on Obama’s Library when the architecture firm was chosen, but I can’t find it with my limited Bing-fu skills. It could also be locked in the Member’s Only feed. It would be interesting to read it again now that a concept has been published. I remember the author writing something along the lines that Obama had chosen a lower-level firm so that he wouldn’t be overshadowed by the firm’s name.
It just gets better from the model perspective.
You know Hollywood is gonna need another socialist dystopian set for future movies, they can’t just rely on Eastern Europe or Brazilia.
I love 1970s german sci-fi movies.
Thanks for linking to the Perfect Strangers opening there. That was helpful.
Lewinsky “shadows” over Clinton portrait
Bookmarking this for when they remake Logan’s Run.
What?
Are those windmills (excuse me, “Wind Turbines”) surrounding it?
Dead trees. Perfect for dystopias.
Fake trees. Perfect for fake environmentalists.
I think it’s got more of a United Federation of Planets vibe to it.
Could be worse. They coulda gone with the good ‘ol Battlestar Galactica/Caprica aesthetic, courtesy of Simon Fraser University.
I believe you are thinking of this one:
Obamandias: “My Billion Dollar Temple Is Insufficiently Grandiose.”
That was my thought. Looks pretty bulletproof.
From that link:
And from what I can tell, both a football field and a baseball field are being bulldozed for Obama’s lie-barry.
You just won the Internet today.
That’s it. Thanks for finding it.
Actually, that’s a pretty cool look they have there. Beats the new Mistake on the Lake, anyway.
Absolutely appropriate though.
Will there be a wing dedicated to the daily national security briefings he never read? He’ll have time now, to catch up on them.
I would think he would have wanted a taller edifice. One more appropriate to his levels of condescension. You need at least like 20 stories to condescend really effectively.
Bonus: The height also prevents people from throwing cat turds at you while you advise them how they should live their lives.
Who knew?! 0bama is a Prepper!
A Trump library? Good one!
Perhaps there will be a tweetbrary, instead.