(WTTW News)

Some South Shore residents have been without heat and hot water. Organizers said the situation highlights concerns over possible displacement and rising housing costs caused by the coming Obama Presidential Center, just blocks away.

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The Obama Presidential Center has been the source of excitement and anxiety for residents in the South Side Woodlawn community, who are eager to benefit from the major development but are concerned about being priced out. The’re also raising concerns about the difficulty of getting around the massive construction site. 

The latest rendering of the Obama Presidential Center tower. (Courtesy of Obama Foundation)
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Construction firm Lakeside Alliance is offering a $100,000 reward to help find whoever committed the “act of hate.”

South Side voters overwhelmingly supported an advisory referendum to stop cutting down trees in Jackson Park and South Shore. (Save Jackson Park / Facebook)
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Voters sent a message to officials by overwhelmingly supporting an advisory referendum calling on the city of Chicago to stop cutting down trees in Jackson Park and South Shore. 

(WTTW News)
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The community’s 53rd Street is home to many locally-owned shops, nightlife spots and restaurants. There’s been some turnover during COVID, but a lot of the small businesses have hung on — even though they’re still facing challenges. 

In this Aug. 26, 2020 file photo, the former home of Emmett and Mamie Till at 6427 S St. Lawrence Avenue is pictured in the West Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)
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A cultural preservation organization announced Tuesday that the house will receive a share of $3 million in grants being distributed to 33 sites and organizations nationwide that are important pieces of African American history.

The latest rendering of the Obama Presidential Center tower. (Courtesy of Obama Foundation)

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to stop a portion of Jackson Park from being transformed into the home of the $500 million Obama Presidential Center.

(WTTW News)
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Tensions and frustrations are running high in the Woodlawn neighborhood as residents feel the effects of the incoming Obama Presidential Center. 

Jackson Park, in spring. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The Jackson Park Advisory Council is proposing a change to its bylaws that would raise the bar in terms who’s considered a voting member. Critics say the move is designed to limit input from “newcomers,” and they want the Chicago Park District to intervene.

Design rendering of the Obama Presidential Center. Plaza in foreground. (Courtesy of The Obama Foundation)

As part of the $100 million gift to the Obama Foundation, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has asked for the plaza at the Obama Presidential Center to be named the John Lewis Plaza.

Former President Barack Obama, left, and former first lady Michelle Obama toss shovels of dirt during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast)

After five years of legal battles, gentrification concerns and a federal review, Barack and Michelle Obama dug shovels into the ground Tuesday during a celebratory groundbreaking on their legacy project in Jackson Park.

In this May 3, 2017 file photo, former President Barack Obama points as he arrives at a community event on the Presidential Center at the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)

“Michelle and I could not be more excited to break ground on the Obama Presidential Center in the community that we love,” the former president says, seated beside his wife, in a video announcement shared first with The Associated Press.

The latest rendering of the Obama Presidential Center tower. (Courtesy of Obama Foundation)

Protect Our Parks had asked the Supreme Court to issue an emergency injunction against construction of the Obama Presidential Center while litigation is still pending, citing the potential for “irreversible” alterations to Jackson Park.

With a bulldozer and road closures in place, construction on the Obama Presidential Center began Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. (WTTW News)

Five years after Barack Obama chose Chicago as the site for his legacy project, construction officially began Monday on the Obama Presidential Center.

Design rendering of the Obama Presidential Center. (Courtesy of The Obama Foundation)
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Opponents of the Obama Presidential Center’s construction in Jackson Park suffered another legal setback Thursday in federal court.

The latest rendering of the Obama Presidential Center tower. (Courtesy of Obama Foundation)
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A coalition of 16 Chicago museums and cultural institutions has weighed in on the ongoing battle over the Obama Presidential Center, coming down firmly on the side of the center versus those who would block its construction in historic Jackson Park.