The Obama Presidential Center has been plagued with problems ever since it was announced.
Ironically, the challenges are coming more from people you would expect to support the center.
Now, there is yet another challenge, as one of the subcontractors for the project is claiming discrimination, suing one of the developers for $40 million.
Another Problem
When the site was originally chosen for the project, the locals pushed back, stating that the center would drive up housing costs, putting rental pricing out of the reach of the people who have lived or done business in this area for decades.
The initial groundbreaking was delayed for years, and now the project has been pushed back again, missing its October 2025 date, delaying the opening until sometime in 2026.
An Obama spokesperson stated, “The grand opening event for the center will take place in 2026 once the Chicago weather lifts and we are able to have a truly spectacular event for all who have supported the project and made the center possible.”
When the project was first announced, Obama’s camp announced, “Today, at a community event hosted by President and Mrs. Obama, the Obama Foundation released the conceptual vision and site map for the Obama Presidential Center.
“More than a building or museum, the Obama Presidential Center will be a living, working center for engagement — an ongoing project for the community and world to shape what it means to be an active citizen in the 21st century.
“The Center will include a state of the art museum, classrooms, labs, and outdoor spaces, and it will conduct programs that will give visitors not just memories, but real tools to create change in their own communities.
“It will be based on the South Side of Chicago but, via partnerships, programs, and digital initiatives, have projects all over the city, the country, and the world.”
Now, Robert McGee, the owner of II in One, recently announced a lawsuit against Thornton Tomasetti, who oversaw the structural engineering aspect of the project.
According to McGee, Tomasetti changed the guidelines to be outside the norm, creating significant overages on his end.
McGee’s suit claims, “In a shocking and disheartening turn of events, the African American owner of a local construction company finds himself and his company on the brink of forced closure because of racial discrimination by the structural engineer. II in One and its joint venture partners… was subjected to baseless criticisms and defamatory and discriminatory accusations by the Obama Foundation’s structural engineer, Thornton Tomasetti.”
Tomasetti responded to the suit, “We cannot stand by while contractors attempt to blame their own shortcomings on the design team.”
The response continued that the company had “bent over backwards to assist what everyone knows was a questionably qualified subcontractor team in areas where more qualified subcontractor would not have required it.”
Needless to say, having a minority business owner sue Obama’s project for discrimination is not exactly a good look for the former president.
Yet, the media is barely covering the story, yet if this was a minority contractor coming after a Trump project, you better believe it would be front page news like the Musk “Nazi” salute.
