STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Former presidents, A-list performers and others are gathering on Chicago's South Side today to attend the dedication of the Obama Presidential Center. Presiding over all of it, of course, will be former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. Also in the crowd will be NPR's Don Gonyea, who has covered Obama since his first campaign for president. He's on the line now from Chicago. Don, good morning.
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning.
INSKEEP: OK. I did get a chance - I don't know - last year to run. I was - went running in Chicago and went by the center under construction. What's it like now that it's done?
GONYEA: OK. So it's dominated - the grounds - by this main building. It's 225 foot tall. It's an obelisk-like tower. People are already calling it the Obamalisk.
INSKEEP: OK.
GONYEA: Didn't see that coming, did you?
INSKEEP: No.
GONYEA: That's the museum. And inside, it tells the story of Obama's political rise. But along the way, it also cites foundational events from U.S. history - slavery, the Declaration of Independence, the suffrage movement, civil rights - all things that kind of helped create a path for the election of the first African American president. Just as significant to the design, though, is what's outside. It's surrounded by park space. It's accessible to the whole community. There are gardens. There's an NBA-regulation basketball court, of course, and outdoor gathering spaces, including a plaza named after the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.
INSKEEP: Sounds like a museum and a recreation center, but not formally a library, right?
GONYEA: Exactly. And here's the logic. Because the Obama White House existed in the digital era, presidential documents and records either originated in or are being converted to digital, and they're available online. So this center doesn't need to be that massive storage facility. And not only are the records not here. There will be no National Archives staff or official presence on-site here. I should say, Steve, though, that separately, there is a branch of the Chicago Public Library on the grounds, and it is an important piece of all this. But again, it's not a presidential library.
INSKEEP: You know, former presidents are showing up for this event. I just saw on CNN three of them - images of three of them - who will be there, but President Trump will not be there. Why not?
GONYEA: He wasn't invited, full stop, which shouldn't shock anyone, right? He continues to verbally attack President Obama and, even recently, has accused Obama of treason, among other things.
Valerie Jarrett was a White House adviser to Obama. And she is currently the CEO of the Obama Foundation, the organization that oversees the center. Here's how she addresses Trump's absence.
VALERIE JARRETT: I can tell you that this is a celebration for those who helped get President Obama where he is, and this is a gift to them. And so the people who will be here are the people who've been helpful along the way.
GONYEA: So those who've been helpful along the way. There will, as you said, be former presidents here - Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden - a bipartisan group, if an incomplete set.
INSKEEP: Interesting that George W. Bush is there. I suppose you would not assume that is someone who helped Obama along the way, but Bush actually did a very dignified transition to Barack Obama once upon a time.
GONYEA: And the two of them have forged a real friendship, including a friendship between Bush and former first lady Michelle Obama.
INSKEEP: Don, thanks so much. Great to hear from you.
GONYEA: It's a pleasure.
INSKEEP: NPR's Don Gonyea.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PULASKI AT NIGHT")
ANDREW BIRD: (Singing) Come back to Chicago. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
