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Obama Presidential Center Construction Costs Hit $1 Billion

The Chicago complex is roughly triple its early estimates, while Harvard's record endowment sits beside layoffs and a hunt for corporate research sponsors; budgets everywhere relate.

On air: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on The Five O'Clock
Published 5:04 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: Barack Obama Presidential Center — Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by Newsmax: “Obama Presidential Center Construction Costs Hit $1 Billion”.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 5:04 PM ET on The Five O'Clock, by Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman.
Topics: Obama.
BBN covered this story before: Obama center's $1 billion price tag now has a $300 million starting… (October 15).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

NewsmaxObama Presidential Center Construction Costs Hit $1 Billion

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is now projected to cost about one billion dollars to build, according to Newsmax, which is roughly three times the early estimates.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThree times. Anyone who has renovated a bathroom just felt that in their teeth.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt is also the most expensive presidential center ever finished in this country. A billion dollars is about sixty-seven million Chipotle burritos.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorSixty-seven million burritos, and I bet the quote said six hundred thousand a month in guacamole.