South Side Legacy: Inside the Obama Presidential Center

On this episode, host Catie Sheehan heads to Chicago's South Side to go behind the scenes at one of the most talked-about new attractions in the country: the Obama Presidential Center, which opened June 19th in Jackson Park.First, Catie sits down with Paul Schulhof, an architect who spent nearly a decade working alongside founding partners Tod Williams and Billie Tsien on the design of the 19.3-acre campus. Paul explains what makes the OPC unlike any presidential library before it, shares what it was like to collaborate directly with Barack and Michelle Obama, and describes how the campus—from its iconic 225-foot museum tower to its NBA-regulation basketball court—was built to be a place of learning and action.After that, Catie connects with Michael Strautmanis, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of the Obama Foundation and a Chicago native who has been part of the Obama world since the Senate days. Michael reflects on what the OPC means for the South Side community, how it's already changing the map for visitors, and shares some favorite neighborhood haunts.