An Obama presidential library located in Hawaii would generate $556 million in economic activity and create 2,130 new jobs, in the construction phase alone, according to officials who submitted a bid by Monday’s deadline.
In addition, the Obama Presidential Center would include a museum that would attract 330,000 visitors annually, making it one of Honolulu’s top five cultural attractions, they said.
As expected, the University of Hawaii, along with state of Hawaii and city of Honolulu, submitted a proposal Monday touting Honolulu as the host location for the Barack Obama Presidential Center.
"Together, with our partners, we are proposing a vibrant institution that will explore the legacy of the 44th presidency, forge collaborative solutions to global problems and cultivate a new generation of leaders that will make lasting change," UH President David Lassner said in a statement.
Lassner added that Hawaii is prepared to host the Obama Presidential Center in its entirety or to join with another site if the president wants to spread the project across different locations.
In addition to the Hawaii proposal, at least four bids were expected from Chicago-area universities and institutions and one from Columbia University in New York.
For bidders who measure up, the Barack Obama Foundation will ask for formal proposals later this year.
A new website — hawaiipresidentialcenter.com — was launched Monday describing the center.
Hawaii officials Monday said most of the funds to pay for the center would come from out of state. While Hawaii donors will contribute to the capital campaign, they said, most of the fundraising will be accomplished by the president’s foundation, with total fundraising expected to top $500 million, based on the precedent of past presidential library drives.
According to the Hawaii proposal, 8 acres of Hawaii Community Development Authority land in Kakaako has been preliminarily set aside for a complex that will include an interactive museum and visitor center. There will also be a presidential archive, a convening institute and a global youth leadership academy.
Museum consultants Lord Cultural Resources estimated that the Honolulu center would become one of the most visited presidential centers in the United States, comparable to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
Monday’s submittal was signed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and UH’s Lassner. It lists supporting partners from Hawaii’s congressional delegation, mayors of the state’s four counties and institutions across the islands, including the East-West Center, state Department of Education, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools and Punahou School, the president’s alma mater.
Presidential libraries are said to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development in the form of office buildings, hotels, restaurants and more. The Clinton Presidential Center has helped bring $2.5 billion in economic development to Little Rock, Ark., according to its website.
Hawaii officials are working with Honolulu consultant John M. Knox & Associates on financial projections, but they have yet to release a figure estimating the library’s annual economic impact and number of permanent jobs.
A study released last month by the University of Chicago indicated that an Obama presidential library located on the South Side of Chicago would inject $220 million into the city’s economy each year.
According to the study, commissioned by the university, the library would create 1,900 permanent jobs.
As for the construction phase, the library would have a $600 million economic impact on Chicago and create 3,280 local jobs, the study said.
