Tenants at a low-income apartment complex in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood have formed a union to fight possible eviction, saying the Obama Presidential Center’s construction is driving up real estate pressure and threatening families who have lived there for decades.
Residents of the Chaney Braggs Apartments, located near 65th Street and Stony Island Avenue, rallied outside their building earlier this month after learning a California-based investor is seeking to purchase the property. That investor, whose identity has not been publicly confirmed, could either renovate or demolish the building, tenants say.
Families have been offered $2,000 per household to vacate. Many pay between $700 and $800 a month in rent and say the buyout offer would not cover the cost of relocating in a neighborhood that has seen rapid gentrification tied to the nearby presidential center project.
“Some of these people have lived there 30 or 40 years,” a FOX 32 Chicago report noted.
City and state officials have not responded to residents’ requests for help, according to tenants.
The building was previously owned by a nonprofit committed to affordable housing. Once those protections lapsed, residents say they became vulnerable to exactly the kind of market forces now threatening to displace them.
The Obama Presidential Center is a 19.3-acre campus under construction in Jackson Park, featuring a 225-foot museum tower, library and community forum. It is scheduled to open June 18, the eve of Juneteenth. Former President Barack Obama, who once described the project as a “gift” to Chicago, has not publicly addressed the displacement concerns.
A Fox News Digital investigation published in February found that taxpayers are absorbing hundreds of millions of dollars in public infrastructure costs tied to the project, including road redesigns, stormwater systems and utility relocations. No government agency has provided a full accounting of the total public expense despite months of inquiries and Freedom of Information Act requests.
Initial projections put public infrastructure spending at approximately $350 million, split between the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. Critics say those obligations have grown significantly as the project faced repeated delays and budget overruns. The total construction cost for the center itself has reached $850 million.
Valerie Jarrett, a longtime Obama insider and former senior White House adviser, earned $740,000 working for the project as outside developers and Obama allies filled top positions during the build.
Obama’s operation also drew attention earlier this month after job listings for the center included an “anti-racism” pledge requirement for prospective employees, a detail reported by Fox News ahead of the grand opening.
Critics have called the building an eyesore. The center has also drawn fire for promoting what opponents describe as a far-left ideological agenda on public land.
No final sale of the Chaney Braggs Apartments has been completed. Residents say they will continue organizing while they wait to hear whether city officials plan to intervene.
