The 19.3-acre campus in Chicago's Jackson Park launched Thursday with an invite-only ceremony featuring Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, and Bono, plus celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks.
Designed as a community hub with gardens, a playground, sledding hill, and a new library branch, it welcomed the public Friday on Juneteenth with free events; the $850 million project includes a museum tower etched with Obama's 'You are America' words.
Obama called for resisting cynicism, praised the Constitution's potential, and highlighted local activism, while reactions ranged from bipartisan praise to critiques of its stark design and ticket ID policy.