Ahead of the Obama Presidential Center’s June 19 opening, Justin Carter gets an exclusive first look via The Shade Room, including Sky Room views, a full Oval Office replica, and tributes such as Obama’s old BlackBerry, a handwritten letter from George W. Bush
The Obama Presidential Center doesn’t officially open until June 19 — also known as Juneteenth — but the first glimpses already feel like a carefully staged welcome. On a special episode of ‘TSR Investigates. ’ host Justin Carter steps inside for exclusive access. and the tour moves fast: panoramic city views. a full replica of the Oval Office. and details that bring familiar history into the building’s rooms.
Carter’s visit begins with the Sky Room, where the windows offer panoramic views. Emily Bittner, the Vice President of Communications for the Obama Foundation and the Obama Presidential Center, explains what visitors will be able to see from there.
“The parts of the city where Mrs. Obama was born and raised. where President Obama found his purpose in his adoptive city — you could peek out these windows and find the places that were the most important to them in their lives. ” Bittner tells Carter. She adds that “Her childhood home is a stone’s throw away. ” and that “The first house they bought as adults is a stone’s throw away. ” emphasizing that visitors can look out and connect the view to “what mattered to them.”.
From there, the experience shifts indoors. The full replica of the Oval Office is on display, and Carter is shown it “complete with Obama’s old Blackberry and a handwritten letter from George W. Bush.” The presentation also includes Michelle Obama’s most iconic dresses, displayed at the center.
One of the biggest set pieces is a digital display built to stretch across the space: an 88-foot digital wall celebrating the first former president.
The episode also includes more conversations tied to what the center is meant to do once doors open. Carter speaks with Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett about what she hopes visitors take away from their visit. Carter also talks with the architect who designed the building.
For now, the doors are still weeks away. But in the Sky Room and through the recreated Oval Office. the center is already offering something more immediate than a ribbon-cutting — a sense of place. and a curated walk through the objects and locations that shaped the story people will come back to on June 19.
Obama Presidential Center Juneteenth The Shade Room TSR Investigates Justin Carter Emily Bittner Valerie Jarrett Sky Room Oval Office replica Michelle Obama dresses George W. Bush letter Obama BlackBerry 88-foot digital wall