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  • Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Martin Nesbitt, left, chairman of the Obama Foundation, announce on...

    Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune

    Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Martin Nesbitt, left, chairman of the Obama Foundation, announce on May 12, 2015, that Chicago will be the home of Obama's presidential library and museum.

  • Former President Barack Obama explains some of the renderings of...

    Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune 2017

    Former President Barack Obama explains some of the renderings of the proposed library during a visit to the South Shore Cultural Center in May 2017.

  • The Obama Foundation at their new headquarters in Hyde Park...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    The Obama Foundation at their new headquarters in Hyde Park on the South Side in Chicago on March 18, 2016.

  • Jackson Park, one of two locations under consideration for the Obama...

    Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune

    Jackson Park, one of two locations under consideration for the Obama Presidential Center, shown on May 12, 2015.

  • Robust Coffee Lounge, is seen on May 2. 2016, on corner...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Robust Coffee Lounge, is seen on May 2. 2016, on corner of Woodlawn Avenue and 63rd Street. "The neighborhood certainly has a lot of potential to be more than a parking lot," said owner Jake Sapstein.

  • A man walks around the track at Jackson Park on July...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    A man walks around the track at Jackson Park on July 27, 2016. The park will be transformed as the new home of the Obama Presidential Library.

  • Niles Butcher, 6, rides at a track in Jackson Park...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Niles Butcher, 6, rides at a track in Jackson Park in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood on July 27, 2016. This portion of Jackson Park will be transformed into the Obama Presidential Library.

  • Michael Strautmanis, vice president of civic engagement for the Obama...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Michael Strautmanis, vice president of civic engagement for the Obama Foundation, stands at their new headquarters on the South Side in Chicago on March 18, 2016.

  • Jackson Park, one of two locations under consideration for the Obama...

    Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune

    Jackson Park, one of two locations under consideration for the Obama Presidential Center, shown on May 12, 2015.

  • An aerial view of the site for the Obama Presidential...

    E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune

    An aerial view of the site for the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side on April 24, 2017.

  • The Apostolic Church of God sits next to the 63rd...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    The Apostolic Church of God sits next to the 63rd Street Metra station. The church holds title to more than 40 parcels of land near the Metra Electric District Station at 63rd Street and Dorchester Avenue.

  • Liz Siciliano, left, chief of staff of the Obama Foundation...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Liz Siciliano, left, chief of staff of the Obama Foundation and other staff members, unpack at the new headquarters on the South Side in Chicago on March 18, 2016.

  • A woman walks past parking lots at Dorchester Avenue and...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    A woman walks past parking lots at Dorchester Avenue and 63rd Street, which are owned by the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago.

  • Amanda Butcher and her son Niles, 6, enjoy exercising at...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Amanda Butcher and her son Niles, 6, enjoy exercising at a track in Jackson Park in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood on July 27, 2016. This a portion of Jackson Park that will be will be transformed into the Obama presidential library.

  • Angela Clark, 40, walks her dog, Jenny, along 63rd Street...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Angela Clark, 40, walks her dog, Jenny, along 63rd Street at Kenwood Avenue on May 2, 2016. She owns a house (behind her) built by Woodlawn Community Development Corp.

  • Jackson Park's sports fields and a track on April 3,...

    Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune

    Jackson Park's sports fields and a track on April 3, 2016.

  • The Obama Foundation at their new headquarters in Hyde Park...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    The Obama Foundation at their new headquarters in Hyde Park on the South Side in Chicago on March 18, 2016.

  • The 63rd Street Metra station on May 2, 2016, and...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    The 63rd Street Metra station on May 2, 2016, and the 59th Street station may be renovated if Jackson Park is selected for construction of the Obama presidential library.

  • Day camp students walk July 27, 2016, through a portion...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Day camp students walk July 27, 2016, through a portion of Jackson Park that will be transformed into the Obama Presidential Library.

  • Jackson Park has the distinction of having hosted part of...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Jackson Park has the distinction of having hosted part of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

  • Students from Hyde Park Academy High School walk May 2,...

    Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune

    Students from Hyde Park Academy High School walk May 2, 2016, along 63rd Street by the Apostolic Church of God, which is near a site for the Obama library in Jackson Park.

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PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

The MacArthur Foundation is planning a $5 million grant to create a new Chicago Public Library branch at the Obama Presidential Center, the foundation announced Monday.

The money will help pay for construction at the planned site of former President Barack Obama’s $500 million presidential center in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side, the Chicago-based nonprofit said. The 5,000-square-foot public library will house multimedia collections, have community programs, a children’s area and offer space for reading and studying.

Housing a public library branch in the presidential center will connect Chicago residents and visitors “to each other and to a world of imagination and information,” MacArthur President Julia Stasch said.

The center was originally slated to open in 2021, though ground hasn’t yet broken because of litigation over the use of public parkland.