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Earlier this summer, McKissack & McKissack celebrated the Obama Presidential Center's monumental grand opening in Chicago. We were honored to have a significant role as project managers from project inception through construction, helping to shape the strategy and design.

When our Founder & CEO, Deryl McKissack, visited the finished campus, she came away struck by the sheer intentionality of every detail. The central tower of the museum rises with a monumental presence. Inside, a four-story video installation greets every visitor, with each level narrating the stories unfolding on that floor. And, on the top floor in the Sky Room, in a stunning display of craftsmanship, wooden curtains are sculpted so intricately that they appear to drape like fabric.

Deryl noted how clear it was that no detail was spared in the building of the center, and because of that purposeful design, everyone who visits will walk away carrying more hope and inspiration than they arrived with.

“For me, one of those moments came from the museum's Sky Room, looking down and seeing the University of Chicago right at the foot of the Obama Presidential Center,” she said. “McKissack & McKissack has a longstanding relationship with the university. It was a powerful reminder that the spaces we help build become part of the fabric of the cities in which they are located.”

The museum tells the breadth and depth of America’s story through the lens of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The exhibits celebrate the vastness and uniqueness of Americans and honor how our country continues to come together to work toward a more perfect union for all its people.

This center joins a portfolio of landmarks McKissack & McKissack has been privileged to help bring to life. When it comes to building legacy spaces for generations to experience, we accept the charge with a simple “Yes We Can.”

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