The unveiling of Barack Obama’s Presidential Center has become a hot topic online, with many taking the opportunity to humorously critique the former President’s ambitious project.
After nearly ten years of planning, the Presidential Center dedicated to Obama is nearing completion in Chicago’s Jackson Park. Scheduled to open in spring 2026, this 19-acre site is designed to be more than just a traditional presidential library. It aims to serve as a community hub with facilities like a Chicago Public Library branch, gardens, playgrounds, and even a basketball court.
The Obama Foundation, which is overseeing the project independently from the National Archives, envisions the center as a tribute to civic participation and collective efforts. The museum’s architecture is meant to symbolize four hands coming together and features quotes from Obama’s speech on the Selma to Montgomery marches.
Word in Black highlights the center’s community-focused amenities, including a large lawn for outdoor activities, a garden named after Eleanor Roosevelt, and a plaza dedicated to the civil rights icon John Lewis.
Despite these noble intentions, the center’s design has prompted a wave of humorous reactions on social media.
This week, as new footage of the nearly finished building spread online, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram buzzed with commentary. A seemingly innocuous comment from Sen. Ted Cruz, who remarked on the building’s resemblance to the Death Star, sparked a viral meme phenomenon.
Users quickly joined in, comparing the 225-foot-tall structure to various elements of pop culture.
The New York Post noted one user’s quip: “It’s an ‘obamanation’! Just like his presidency!” while another added: “It’s like someone built a Lego set without the instructions.”
Creative users employed Photoshop to place the building in familiar scenes from Star Wars, complete with spacecraft and vehicles from the franchise, or adorned it with the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings.
Some humorously likened it to the statues on Easter Island or everyday trash bins, dubbing it the ‘Litter Genie Plus Pail’.
While the center’s design deviates from that of a typical presidential library—it won’t store physical documents but offer digital archives—the bold architectural choices have not shielded it from a playful roasting online.
Nonetheless, the Obama Foundation continues to advance its mission. The center, once completed, will host leadership initiatives and community spaces, featuring facilities like the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium, named in memory of a young victim of gun violence, and a two-acre playground for families.