Temporary Obama archive coming to Hoffman Estates
Work is expected to begin almost immediately preparing the former Plunkett Furniture store in Hoffman Estates to serve as the temporary archive of the future Barack Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side.
After Monday's 6-1 vote of approval by the Hoffman Estates village board, the building's current owners plan to make it ready for the National Archives and Records Administration to occupy by Oct. 1.
The initial lease of the 74,200-square-foot building at 2500 W. Golf Road will be for four years, though a two-year extension is possible if the permanent building near the University of Chicago isn't yet ready.
About 120 employees will spend the next few years sorting and assessing the materials collected for the historical record of Obama's presidency.
Though such items are intended for public display, once the presidential museum opens in Chicago, they won't be throughout the entirety of their stay in Hoffman Estates.
Nevertheless, some village officials were excited about the role Hoffman Estates is playing in relating that history to future generations.
"It's kind of neat," Mayor Bill McLeod said.
Trustee Gary Pilafas cast the sole dissenting vote against the project. He said afterward the village had been hoping for a different type of redevelopment on that site - one that would have created new retail or other commercial uses that could have generated more local tax revenue.
Under the approved plan, the parking lot will be gated and the former store made more secure.
The building had been vacant for two years before it was purchased by Hoffman Estates Medical Development LLC in 2011, said the group's attorney, Alex Drapatsky.
"We hope we've found the right tenant and the right use for this," Drapatsky said.
What happens to the building after the Obama archivists move out will depend on the real estate market at that time, he added.