Washington Park: A Connected Site at the Heart of the South Side

At the symbolically rich intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Garfield Boulevard, an extraordinary opportunity exists to beneficially reimagine the urban context – without sacrifice of public parkland or damage to the fragile community fabric. 12.65 contiguous acres of vacant and underutilized land exists on both sides of Garfield Boulevard at this location, the only improvements a forlorn service station and a surface parking lot. This landscape, unexceptional today, presents tantalizing potential to bookend the historic, Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Garfield Boulevard, while simultaneously forming a gateway to the splendors of his Washington Park that lie beyond.

This strategic assemblage of lots – the bulk of which are already owned by either the city or the University of Chicago – offers extraordinary connectivity to downtown Chicago, the greater South Side, and beyond, by means of an unrivaled collection of mass transit and freeway access. Immediately within the site boundaries is seated the existing Garfield station of the C.T.A. Green Line, with its landmarked boulevard overpass and historic station house, as well as a recently upgraded, fully accessible main station. This transit line would provide an Obama Presidential Center development with a direct link to the South Side Communities of Woodlawn, Englewood, and Bronzeville, as well as immediate interconnectivity with the massive McCormick Place convention center and downtown Chicago.

Also within walking distance is the C.T.A. Red Line (3/4 mile), which will soon be extended south to the Pullman National Monument, one of President Obama’s final achievements in office. Even closer is the Metra Rock Island District, where a new station is envisioned to provide connectivity to the southwest suburbs, in addition to local urban service to the South Side’s Beverly and Morgan Park communities. Last, the Dan Ryan Expressway, the major vehicular artery of the South Side, is located three-quarters of a mile to the west, facilitating vehicular access from all regions, as well as expeditious, safe deliveries.

Map with legend of the distances and proximity of transportation access to/from the proposed alternate site for the Obama Presidential Center.

A new east-west bus rapid transit (BRT) line is proposed along the Garfield Boulevard corridor, running from the C.T.A. Orange Line and Midway Airport at the west to the Metra Electric District and Chicago Lakefront on the east. Aside from tying together this complex transportation network, the bus rapid transit route would greatly increase the availability of practical, safe, efficient mass transit in the Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, and Gage Park neighborhoods. In so doing, access, exchange, and interlocution between the majority of South Side communities can be vastly improved by providing an efficient means of transfer south of downtown.

Situated at the confluence and physical interface of these diverse urban activities is the Obama Presidential Center site. This positions the Center fully as a new epicenter of activity on the South Side, striking a symbiotic relationship between the greater community, the Center, and the physical spaces they occupy. Vastly improved are the prospects that the Obama Presidential Center can fulfill its goals as a community anchor, incubator, inspiration, and locus of activity.

Also within easy walking distance of the site are the boundless recreational and leisure opportunities of Washington Park, the beauty of its historic Refectory and the Northern Plaisance’s lagoons, the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Woodlawn and Grand Crossing neighborhoods, and the University of Chicago.

Leveraging these unparalleled advantages, the Obama Square plan transforms this currently barren and desolate location into a diverse mix of public and private uses, housing much more than the Obama Presidential Center’s internal activities, with the strategic inclusions of a transportation hub, an enhanced University of Chicago Arts Block, a fully equipped Chicago Public Library, year-round community spaces, educational offerings, a full-service hotel, covered commuter parking, off-street loading, and retail. Due to the expansive, urban location, the resulting complex is free to strive for the loftiest of energy and environmental goals, targeting both Net Zero energy with 100% onsite renewables, and 100% onsite water capture and reuse, among many others. Storm water management and flooding concerns are greatly reduced, as compared to a location within Jackson Park.

Grahm Balkany, AIA
February 17, 2021