The structural engineer behind a prominent feature of the Barack Obama Presidential Center defended the controversial Chicago complex Saturday, pushing back against online critics who have called the $700 million project an architectural failure.
Chris Bird, a Washington-based structural engineer who designed the upper quadrant of the tower featuring excerpts from Obama's speeches, said boldness was the 44th president's explicit goal. The 91 words wrapped around a corner of the building comprise 433 individual letters, each standing at approximately five feet tall.
'The architects knew with the client that they wanted to do something bold at the top of the tower, and the vision of the speech came to life,' Bird told Fox News Digital during the center's public opening Friday. 'Working with the design architects and also their graphic designers to figure out how to shape and move a speech, splice it and put it on a building is actually really unprecedented. There's no architectural precedent, in my opinion.'
The 19.3-acre campus on Chicago's South Side has drawn thousands of visitors since opening to the public.
What the Left Is Saying
Supporters of the center praised its design as a bold tribute to the first Black president. More than a dozen visitors interviewed by Fox News Digital during Friday's opening used words like 'phenomenal,' 'breathtaking,' 'amazing,' 'futuristic' and 'unique' to describe the complex.
'Now that it's complete, it feels like it really anchors this site and this neighborhood,' Bird said. 'You know, it's able to blend in with the park in a way that's really nice. I mean, the landscape architecture — as well as the building — the landscape architectures is incredible.'
Bird noted the emotional response from attendees during opening festivities. 'I mean, it's nothing but smiles and some tears sometimes. I think everyone finds a bit of themselves that they knew or didn't know they needed here, which is really special,' he said.
The Obama Foundation has highlighted the center's role in housing the former president's presidential library and serving as an anchor for community programming on Chicago's South Side.
What the Right Is Saying
Online critics have sharply criticized the building's appearance. The structure has been dubbed a 'monstrous insult to architecture,' a 'concrete nightmare' and a 'monstrosity' by detractors on social media.
'I think to say that it's a monstrosity is wrong,' Bird responded. 'I would say that it's a really grand gesture and a bold statement.'
Some conservative commentators have questioned the project's $700 million price tag, with critics arguing federal funds could have been directed toward other priorities. Others have raised concerns about potential displacement of longtime residents in the surrounding neighborhood.
The tower's design has drawn particular scrutiny from those who argue it does not fit with the surrounding park landscape. 'So, the tower itself is an incredible gesture in the rest of the park,' Bird said in defense. 'We're reaching toward the sky, it is tall, but it's not much taller — I mean it's kind of matched in size by lots of the buildings around this area.'
What the Numbers Show
The Barack Obama Presidential Center spans 19.3 acres on Chicago's South Side.
Construction costs for the complex have been reported at approximately $700 million.
Bird said there are 433 individual letters comprising the speech excerpts, each standing at five feet tall.
The tower features 91 words from various speeches delivered by Obama during his eight years in office.
The Bottom Line
The opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center marks the culmination of a project that has generated debate since its announcement. While visitors to Friday's opening largely offered positive assessments, online criticism of the architecture remains vocal.
Bird defended the structure as fitting within its urban context. 'I think everyone finds a bit of themselves that they knew or didn't know they needed here,' he said, reflecting on visitor reactions during the public opening.