Arts & Entertainment
From a Replica Oval Office to Michelle Obama’s Dresses, What’s Inside the Obama Presidential Center
While the outside of the Obama Presidential Center is a statement, one could argue it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
Earlier this month, WTTW News visited the center for a firsthand look at the exhibits, installations and everything in between.
From the moment you set foot in the John Lewis Plaza, you know this isn’t your ordinary presidential museum. And upon entering the museum’s first floor, you’re face to face with history.
Museum director Louise Bernard said creating this experience with the Obamas was a journey.
“President Obama really wanted to ensure that the story that we told was embedded in a nuanced, contextual history, that we were lifting up and illustrating the idea of on whose shoulders we stand,” Bernard said.
“As people are coming to the museum,” she continued, “they begin their journey kind of rooted in this historical storytelling.”
Visitors experience the “Yes We Can” installation at the Obama Presidential Center Museum on March 1, 2026. (The Obama Foundation)
That storytelling traces from the Declaration of Independence to women’s suffrage to workers’ rights and beyond.
After the first floor, the museum has a laser focus on former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Each floor captures a moment in time. Some are heavier, like the aftermath of the Great Recession and the journey to pass the Affordable Care Act.
Others are sure to be crowd favorites.
On the fourth floor, visitors will find a full-scale replica of the Oval Office during the Obama presidency. Also on the fourth floor are some of Michelle Obama’s iconic dresses.
“You see how she’s transformative in terms of her connection to fashion and style, engaging with a wide range of diverse designers,” Bernard said.
Celebrating Fashion and Design display at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago on May 11, 2026. (The Obama Foundation. Some objects courtesy of the National Archives, Obama Presidential Library)
The Oval Office experience at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago on May 21, 2026. (The Obama Foundation)
Whether fashion, politics or miniature moments from their White House years, you get a flavor of the Obamas’ time at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., according to Michael Strautmanis, the Obama Foundation’s chief corporate affairs officer.
“This place — it really gives people an opportunity who weren’t around then to go back in time and experience what that moment was like,” Strautmanis said. “I found it inspiring.”
He said he wants the center to feel like an extension of the community: “Come have fun, play in the playground, shoot some hoops, have a picnic.”
“I also want people to ask themselves at some point, like, ‘Well, what’s my role in all of this?’” Strautmanis said. “You know, the Presidential Center is, it’s about the story of our country. It’s about democracy, it’s civic engagement, and that is a participatory sport.”
